


I Still Miss You

by PostSochiFeels



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cheating, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Marriage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2019-09-15 09:52:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 44,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16931046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PostSochiFeels/pseuds/PostSochiFeels
Summary: Whenever Scott had fallen on hard times, she'd always been there to pick him up.  Now he had fallen as far as he could and he was on his own.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, it's me with a little angst that hopefully will get better by the time we are done. This one is kind of an AU. The backstory is the same, but the current story is very not going to happen.  
> The song I will be referencing is called I Still Miss You by Keith Anderson and it is gut wrenchingly good. Please check it out.

“C’mon kids! I’m going to be late for work if you don’t hurry up!” 

Scott impatiently rinsed the dirty breakfast dishes before tossing them into the dishwasher and stuffed the open cereal boxes back into the cupboard. He was tired of his kids leaving their stuff all over the place, but any discipline he tried to instill was quickly dashed away by their mother who let the kids do whatever they wanted when they were with her. Which happened to be every other week. He’d have them listening and behaving by the end of the week and then right back to square one when they returned from their stay. Gathering the back packs, lunch bags, coats and boots necessary for the school day, Scott angrily glared at his watch. The kids were running late again. Every morning was a struggle to get them out of bed, then downstairs for breakfast and then actually ready to go to school. He wasn’t sure why he bothered any more. Making a last check of the kitchen to ensure everything was ready, he went to the bottom of the stairs to yell again.

“Patrick, Ally!”

They finally appeared, Ally, dressed in the latest fashion, dark hair in a high ponytail and on her phone and Patrick, dressed in simple jeans and flannel, short dark hair mussed, his nose in a book. “We’re here dad, what’s the big deal?”

Scott tossed their coats at them as he pulled his own from the closet. “This new job is important guys. I need this job, I can’t be late.”

Patrick, his youngest child, sat down on the bottom step to do up his boots. “Mom says you were rich and famous, why do you have to work?”

Scott felt his blood start to boil, he took deep breaths and counted to ten twice before answering. “Money and fame don’t last forever. I was just a figure skater.”

“Mom says you were the greatest figure skater of all time and now you have to work at BoxMart to pay the bills.”

“Yes.” Scott took another deep breath. “Yes, I do. And if we don’t get going, I’m going to be late and those bills aren’t going to get paid. Like that cell phone bill.”

After dropping the kids at school and reminding them that Mrs. Lake would be there to get them after school, Scott started the journey into town, thoughts jumbled in his head as he steered the maroon mini van down the empty road. He knew his ex wife thought he was a loser. They weren’t right for each other. They were never meant to be . They had a month long fling that broke up the one decent relationship he had in his life, then a quick marriage when they found out she was pregnant with Ally. They tried to make it work and things were okay until Patrick came around. Then nothing was good enough for her. He had hoped she was decent enough to not try and poison his kids against him but obviously she wasn’t. Hearing his son ask him about being rich and famous and having to work had felt like an arrow piercing his heart. He wanted the kids away from her so badly, but, as much as he wanted it, he couldn’t afford to start another petition to be granted sole custody.

To be honest, there wasn’t any use because she really hadn’t done anything wrong. The kids were well looked after in her care. Well not her care, all the babysitters that she had in while she was out enjoying his money, looked after them well. Scott drove on, tapping his fingers in time to the plaintive country tune on the radio that unknowingly mirrored the feelings in his heart.

 _“And I still miss you_  
_I've done everything, move on like I'm supposed to_  
_I'd give anything for one more minute with you_  
_I still miss you  
_ _I still miss you baby”_

A vision of her jumped into his mind as the song played and Scott growled as he twisted the radio dial furiously. “No! She’s old history.” Finding a pop station he could sing along with, her image swam into his mind again, he could picture her long dark hair and those green eyes he always got lost in. “What the hell is wrong with you, Moir?” He shook his head as he parked the van. “She moved on and wouldn’t even recognize you now, boy. You are pathetic.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“You’re cutting it close, Moir.” his boss growled as Scott dashed past the office to the punch clock. 

“But I’m not late.” Scott muttered as he swiped his badge with two minutes to spare. “You can’t dock me for being late.”

“Where am I today, sir?” Scott adjusted his tie as he waited for his manager to get off the phone. Scott was certain he was someone Danny or Charlie had gone to school with and he knew that he was taking great delight in embarrassing Scott any way he could. He looked like the type who had been the big jock of the school but never took it any further. As he matured his toned body had turned to fat, but he thought he still looked 19. Scott wished he could remember his name. Frank...or Fred...David? 

“Mr. Moir, so glad you could join us today.” The manager leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head and Scott winced at the large sweat stains at his armpits. “Where is your vest?”

Scott held it up, clenched in his fist. “Right here. I’m just waiting to see where you want me working today. Yesterday, I…”

Frank, Fred or David cracked his knuckles and smirked at Scott. “I don’t care where they had you yesterday. I need a greeter today.”

Scott gaped at the man. A greeter? The height of embarrassment, designed to show exactly how far the local three time Olympian and 5 time medal winner had fallen into hard times. “Are you sure? Because I was helping out in the seasonal yard and was able to..”

“I said I need a greeter, Moir.” Frank, Fred or David sneered at him. “You need this job, don’t you?”

Scott dug his nails into the palms of his hands and gritted his teeth. “Yes sir, I do. I’m raising my two kids alone.”

“Alrighty then. Get up there and get to work.” 

Scott turned on his heel to walk down the hallway to the sales floor.

“Oh...Moir?”

Scott groaned and turned back. “Yes?”

“Make sure your ass is ready for work before you come to my office. Get that vest and name badge on and be prepared to start your day.”

Scott grumbled to himself as he pulled the bright red vest over his arms. Thinking of how it clashed with the blue of his shirt, he thought he could hear her voice.

_“Scott, you just can’t wear whatever. The colours need to match, it makes your line look good.”_

Shaking his head, he tried to push her out of his mind and prepare for the worst day of his life. No one he knew, aside from family, knew how bad things had gotten for him. Oh, they knew he lost the skate shop, but they were able to explain it away by saying it was a sign of the times, the sport was so expensive. Truth was, after the break-up and his quickie marriage, no one wanted anything to do with the shop except for a few die-hards. There were other skate and dance shops in town and customers were happy to switch their allegiance. Scott was prepared to be grilled by every customer as they came in. Everyone in town knew who he was, there was no getting away from it. As his manager surely knew. Jackass was probably sitting and watching in the office, getting his kicks as he was being degraded.

After an hour or two, Scott had posed for more photos than he cared to admit and he had his answers down pat and was actually joking with the customers. 

“Oh yeah, well you know what divorce is like!”

“Nope, can’t buy food for two growing kids with a gold medal!”

“No time for skating with two kids in the house!”

“Do you know how much it costs to raise a preteen daughter? Whoo boy!”

He was cherishing a few quiet minutes to catch his breath, it was just about break time, so he made sure the cart corral was full and the area clean and tidy before he left. He was just initialing the daily duties chart when he smelled a familiar perfume. Shaking his head, wondering why today of all days her memory was assaulting him, he finished checking off the list.

“Scott? Scott Moir? Is that you?”


	2. Chapter 2

It seemed like it took forever for him to lift his head and gaze into those gorgeous green eyes. The very ones that he used to drown in every day.

“Tessa?” HIs voice sounded strained, like he was being strangled. “What are you doing here?”

She still looked beautiful, of course. Her long, dark hair was now cut into a trendy asymmetrical bob style that made her eyes and the angles of her face stand out sharply.

“Scott! I haven’t seen you in so long!” She hugged him tightly and Scott just stood there, overwhelmed by the mere fact of seeing her once more, before he lifted his arms and returned her embrace.

“It’s...it’s good to see you Tessa.” Scott pulled awkwardly on his vest, painfully aware of Tessa staring at the logo on it.

Tessa gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “Scott, are you working here?” she asked, with notes of surprise and sympathy layered in her voice.

He simply stood, head down and cheeks flushing red, mortified she had to find out this way.

“I know about the restaurant. Mom saw you in there one time. But BoxMart?”

“Tessa, I…”

“Are you mad at me?” she asked suddenly. “I can’t remember the last time you called me Tessa.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just…”

“We can talk later...I’m supposed to see a manager here...Frank something.”

“I can...uh...I can go find him for you.” Scott murmured, thankful to her for offering him an out of discussing his current employment situation.

At that moment, Frank appeared out of nowhere, arms open wide to greet Tessa.

“Miss Virtue, our special guest for the day! How nice to see you!”

He went in for a hug and Tessa quickly stuck out her hand for a shake instead. “Frank, how nice to finally meet you! I’ve been looking forward to this.”

Scott stared on in confusion. BoxMart was the last place the Tessa he knew, or at least the one he used to know, would ever shop at. She must be here for a promotional thing. Tessa had her fingers in a lot of pies and Scott couldn’t keep up with them all anymore. Now and then, he’d run across her photo in a magazine promoting clothes, jewelry, lotions, you name it. He’d carefully pull it from the magazine and lay it in a drawer filled with similar advertisements and articles. He wasn’t sure why he kept them, maybe it was only because he couldn’t bear to see her thrown in the recycling bin. Then again, maybe there were other reasons she still held a special place in his heart.

“Moir!” Scott jumped at the sound of Frank’s barking voice. “I said Ed is coming to relieve you, I need you to set up Miss Virtue’s booth.”

“Frank, don’t you think Scott could stay here and…” Tessa began, attempting to get Scott out of the awkward situation.

“Don’t you worry about a thing, Miss Virtue.” Frank smiled at her, then turned to Scott with a smirk. “Moir needs this job, he’s not complaining.”

Frank put his arm around Tessa to escort her away, at the same time, pointing for Scott to leave and get working on the setup.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As he worked, Scott thought back to the last time he had seen Tessa. He had taken Patrick for a drive so Tessa could see him. Jocelyn had strictly forbid him to allow Tessa in their house, or for her to see the children. But, Scott made sure Tessa met both kids early on, hoping that she could still be part of their lives as Aunt Tessa. Jocelyn had decide to take Ally out for a day of shopping and as soon as she was gone, Scott headed out with two month old Patrick secured in his carseat to Tessa’s downtown house. She had cooed in delight as she held him and Scott beamed with pride at his son. They chatted and shared a light lunch, Tessa holding Patrick snugly as he drank his bottle and slowly fell asleep. They stared at each other over the sleeping child, quickly falling into that old familiar pattern that neither spoke of. They made love as Patrick slept in his car seat, keeping their amorous moans low as to not interrupt him. They clung to each other in the hushed room, each not wanting to be the first to let go. When Patrick made a small noise, Tessa lightly pushed Scott away. “We can’t keep doing this.” She sat up and pulled her sweater over her slim figure. “Go home to your wife, Scott. It’s best you don’t come back.”

He stayed away. 

They hadn’t seen each other from that day until today. 10 long years later.

Scott finished hanging the banners and posters of Tessa that decorated the booth and stepped back to admire his work. He only had a moment before a team swept in and was opening boxes and putting outfits on mannequins that soon surrounded the booth. Scott squinted at one of the banners again and nodded his head. **“A budget conscious line of fitness wear, for the health conscious individual - Verve by Virtue!”** He felt his heart swell with pride for her. She’d always wanted to be in the fashion industry and even if it was only being sold at BoxMart, she had done it and it was more than he could say for any of his dreams. The huge lineup of excited people waiting to meet her and buy her clothes spoke of her dreams coming true.

Scott stepped back as Tessa and her team swept into the booth, ready to greet the public anxious to meet her.

“Where do you think you’re going, Moir?”

“My name is Scott, Frank.” he tossed back and immediately regretted it.

“And my name is Mr. Casewell to you, Moir.” Frank folded his arms over his abundant chest as he glared at Scott. “Someone needs to stay here in case Miss Virtue needs anything. Maybe just to help take pictures of the people happy to see our skating star here.”

Scott gritted his teeth as Frank walked away laughing hysterically. He knew Frank had this day planned from the moment he hired him on. He wouldn’t be surprised to find out he was fired at the end of the day, after Frank had all his fun toying with him and his emotions. Before he could get back to the booth, one of Tessa’s assistants asked him to bring some water for the table and finger foods. Scott hurried away and came back to find Tessa meeting her fans and taking photos just like old times. The people were milling around looking at the clothing displays, several older people giving him a side eye and a questioning look. Scott ignored them and walked behind the booth with the refreshments. Tessa gave him a warm smile as she continued signing autographs and taking photos.

“Do you need anything else?” he asked one of the assistants. “I’m supposed to stay here to help.”

“Nah, we’re good. Probably won’t need anything until she’s done. Just sit back and watch her work, she’s pretty amazing.”

Scott stared at Tessa, trying in vain to push those old feelings away. “Yeah, she is pretty amazing, isn’t she?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The meet and greet had ended, fans were still milling around hoping for a last photo or smile from Tessa as Scott began tearing down the booth. Tessa was going over sales with her team, he thought from listening to the excited babble of voices that things had gone well and that made him happy for her. He carefully folded the posters and banners, tucking them back into their boxes. He left the clothing and mannequins for the team and checked to make sure there was nothing else for him but removing the tables and chairs. 

“Scott!” 

Tessa ran over to him and took his hand in hers, she pressed something into his palm and as she folded his fingers over it, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“It really was such a surprise to see you again. I wrote my cell number on the back of the card. Please call me, we need to talk.”


	3. Chapter 3

“She saw me Charlie.” Scott moaned into the phone later that night, on a break from his restaurant job. “Frank put me on as greeter. He knew she was coming today and wanted to rub my face in it.”

“Frank always was a great guy.” Charlie said, sarcastically. He could remember being on the bad end of some of his high school pranks, and he was sorry Scott had to deal with him as a failed grown-up who got no further than running a discount store.

“How was she?” Charlie asked, curious. “Was she rude to you?”

“No!” Scott was offended that his brother even suggested such a thing. “She couldn’t be rude if she tried.”

Charlie snickered, knowing full well how rude Tessa could be if she wanted to be. He’d been on the wrong end of her wrath when Scott and Jocelyn had first started screwing around on her. She wanted information that she was sure he had and Charlie wouldn’t share. Charlie loved her like a sister and she didn’t need to know what Scott was doing behind her back. Not from him, anyway. Not that she hadn’t been justified, but rude, nonetheless.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Scott asked, catching Charlie’s sarcastic laugh. “She was fine. She’s got a line of athletic wear and was promoting it. Frank made me set up the booth for her.”

“Maximum embarrassment and very little effort. Got to give him a bonus for that one.”

“Yeah, well.” Scott was quiet for a moment. “She wants me to call her.”

“Do you really want to go there, bro?” Charlie questioned. “You hurt her pretty badly with the Jocelyn thing.”

“I never meant…”

“Don’t say it Scott. You’ve got a brain, you could have stopped it.”

“But she…”

“Scott.” Charlie warned. “I love Tess like a sister and you will not defend your dumbass actions to me by blaming her. You made a decision and it bit you in the ass. Matter of fact it bit you in the ass several times over and you were too stupid to see it. Or too stubborn. Now you have to deal with it. My question to you is, how much of your mess do you want Tess to know about?”

“She saw me working at BoxMart as a fucking greeter. I think she probably has some idea of the mess my life is in right now.” 

“It’s up to you, but I would tread carefully. That girl has always loved you and you smashed her heart to pieces.”

Scott hung up the phone and twirled the engraved business card between his fingers. He had to think carefully about this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hi Mrs. Lake.” Scott entered the apartment quietly, setting his lunch bag on the counter and draping his jacket over a chair. “How were they tonight?”

Mrs. Lake had looked after the kids ever since Ally was born. Scott was still skating at the time and he wanted someone local to provide care for his child when he was on tour. Mrs. Lake lived just down the street from the arena and Scott had gone to school with her youngest son. He could remember going over to the Lake house for lunches and suppers as a kid and how kind she had been. He was thrilled when she agreed to watch the kids for him. 

“Oh, we had a few issues, but nothing major, sweetie.” The older woman picked up her purse and tucked the book she had been reading into it. 

“Issues?”

“Miss Ally doesn’t think she needs a babysitter, she spent most of her evening pouting in her room. Patrick, I think, got into a fight at school but he wouldn’t talk to me about it. Poor boy was really quiet all night and that’s not like him. He’s a real chatterbox, that one.”

“I’ll try to find out what’s wrong.” Scott sighed, as he poured himself a glass of wine. “I’ll talk to them both in the morning.”

“Far be it from me to say, Scott, but I think they just need you around more.” Mrs. Lake gave him a sympathetic glance. “They need a full time parent.”

“I’m trying, Mrs. L.” Scott slumped in his chair by the TV. “I need to work though. She took everything I had. If I quit work to be with the kids, she’ll take them too and then I won’t have anything.”

“They love you, I think they miss you. Would taking a day off work really hurt? Spend the day with them and pay some attention to them?”

Scott took a sip of his wine and savoured it. “I have a day off coming up, maybe I’ll pull them from school for the day and we’ll do something fun.” Scott stood and embraced the sitter lightly. “Thanks for being here, Mrs. L, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Exhausted from his busy and emotional day, and feeling the effects of his second glass of wine, Scott dragged himself upstairs to get ready for bed. Peeping in Ally’s room, he saw she had fallen asleep with her phone clutched tightly in her hand, he pulled it from her grasp gently and set it on the bedside table. Brushing her hair back from her forehead he kissed her lightly, before pulling the blankets up around her shoulders. Patricks door was open a crack and Scott thought he could hear mumbled whispers coming from within.

“Patrick, are you still awake, buddy boy?”

Scott heard a sniffle and rustle of sheets.

“Patrick?”

Scott moved closer to the bed and saw the familiar small lighted screen shining through the sheets.

“Who are you talking to this late at night, son?”

“I called Mom, but she’s not there.” Patrick sniffed.

Of course she’s not, Scott thought as he settled on the edge of the twin bed. She’s out spending my money.

“But you were talking to someone?”

“It was Bruce.”

Scott took a deep breath to keep from swearing. He had to remain calm.

“Who is Bruce?”

Patrick sniffled again and sat up, pulling himself into Scott’s lap. Scott was surprised, Patrick hadn’t done something like this in years. He pulled him close, wrapping his arms around his son and kissing the top of his head as he waited for Patrick to gather himself.

“He’s moms boyfriend. I don’t really like him.”

“Is he mean to you?” Scott was internally seething. If this Bruce had done anything to hurt his kids he couldn’t be held responsible for what he might do.

“Not really. He says bad things about you.” Patrick tipped his head up to look at his father. “He calls you a no good loser. It makes me mad and he laughs at me when I tell him you are not.”

Scott smiled at Patricks defiant tone. He had taught him to stand up for himself and for things he believed in. 

“It’s not nice to call people names.” Patrick continued, his cheeks flushing red and his voice rising.

“No, it’s not.” Scott agreed as he slowly rubbed small circles on Patricks back. “He doesn’t know me though, so maybe once I meet him, he will change his mind.”

Patrick looked up at him dubiously. “I don’t think so, dad.”

“Why were you calling your mom anyway?”

“I got in a fight at school.” Patrick slid off Scott’s lap and back under his covers. “About mom. I just wanted to talk to her.”

“A fight about your mom?” Scott rubbed Patricks shoulder gently. “How did that happen?”

“An older kid. He said mom ruined you. That the only reason you have to work is because mom took all your money.”

“Honey.” Scott pulled Patrick into another hug. “You need to ignore those older kids. They just want to get you into trouble.”

“I decked him.” Patrick’s muffled voice rang out proudly.

“Patrick Joseph Moir!” Scott tried to keep his tone serious, even though he was proud of Patrick for standing up for him.. “You can’t do that.”

“He made me mad.”

“Trust me, son, I understand. But you have to control your emotions and be the stronger person.”

“Is it true?” Patrick sniffled again and Scott wondered if he was just upset or coming down with something.

“Is what true?” Scott asked, and then suddenly clued in. “Is that why you were calling your mom? To ask her that?”

Patrick nodded, his head bumping Scott’s chest with every slow nod. “I don’t like it if mom took all your money. That’s mean. You work all the time and Ally and I never see you anymore.”

Scott’s breath caught and he could feel the tears running unbidden down his face. Damn her for making their children feel this way. Damn her for knowing that he would never be able to afford what she was awarded by the courts and just taking it without question. Damn her for everything. He hugged Patrick tightly to him and buried his head in his shoulder. 

“I’m so sorry, son. So very sorry.” Scott stood and lifted Patrick, who still clung to him, easily. “Listen, let go hang out in my room and try to get some sleep. Can we have some manly snuggle time? Would that be okay with you?” 

Patrick giggled and nodded. “We haven’t had manly snuggle time in a long time.”

“Well, it’s time we do it then. We can talk more about this in the morning.” Scott bumped his bedroom door open with his hip and dropped a laughing Patrick onto the bed. “Get under those covers and get ready for snuggles!” He dropped his voice a note lower. “I mean, manly snuggles.”

The sound of Patricks laughter rebounding around his bedroom filled his heart with joy and love, it had been so long since he’d heard it and he didn’t want to lose it again.


	4. Chapter 4

“What the hell, Jocelyn?” 

Scott had dropped the kids off at school and called his ex-wife before heading into work, he, hoped to have a calm and rational conversation with her about Patrick’s escapades at school. However, Bruce had answered the phone. He remained at ease until he heard Bruce hand the phone over with a flippant remark about her loser ex. Scott felt his anger rising and by the time Jocelyn picked up the phone and gave him a leisurely “Hi Sugar” his rage had exploded into the phone. 

“What are you talking about, Scott?” 

“My son got into a fight at school yesterday because another kid told him his mother stole all my money.”

“Our son, you mean.”

“God damn you.” Scott spit out. “Patrick told me about Bruce.”

“Bruce is simply a family friend.”

“You know damn well that if you get involved with someone, the amount I have to pay goes down. You don’t want to risk that, I’m sure.” Scott added sarcastically.

“Bruce is a friend. You’ll have a hard time proving otherwise, sweetie.”

Scott smacked his palm flat on the table. The pain that radiated through to his wrist gave him something tangible to focus on.

“I don’t know who the hell you are talking to, but they are spreading it around. The kids don’t need to know details about the divorce. They are having a hard enough time dealing with us being apart.”

“The kids are fine with me.” Jocelyn protested, innocently. “And anyway, how is that my fault, Scott? I’m not the one who couldn’t stop sleeping with my skating partner.”

His blood ran cold. She wouldn’t dare tell the kids the messy details behind the divorce. He hadn’t slept with Tessa, hell, he hadn’t seen or spoke to her, since that day when Patrick was two months old. But Jocelyn never believed him and got several witnesses behind her to prove that he had kept seeing Tessa behind her back, even though it wasn’t true.

“Just...please... stop talking about it.” Scott hated to sound like he was begging. “I don’t want them going to school and being asked about us. I want them to have a normal life.”

“Maybe you should be around more for them then?” Jocelyn questioned. “They need a father figure in their lives.”

“You bitch, you know I have to work to support you. You know how much you took from me.”

“You should have thought of that before you started banging Miss Tessa in the bathroom at the rink.” 

“I never! Jesus Christ Jocelyn, you know damn well I never did anything of the sort!” 

“Really? Well, everyone heard you, so unless you were really into getting off by yourself in there…” She let the suggestion lay there, dangling heavy on the phone line. She held all the cards and she didn’t want him to forget it. “Anyway darling, I need the kids early this week.”

“No!” Scott yelled. How could she be so bold? “The agreement is one week each. Exactly one week.”

“It’s just one day early, don’t be a jackass. I want to take them to Canada’s Wonderland.”

“They’re in school.” Scott weakly protested, knowing full well he had been planning on taking them out for a day as well.

“One damn day, really Scott? School is just a fashion show for Ally and Patrick is about as smart as you, they won’t be missing anything.”

“How can you talk about your children like that?” Scott seethed. 

“Just proves they really are your kids. Dumb as doorknobs, all three of you. Truth hurts.” Jocelyn said, bluntly. I’ll be there to get them Friday morning around 7am. See you then, sugar.”

Scott hit the button to end the call and flung his phone at the wall with a frustrated roar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patrick was walking through the school yard with his head down, hands stuffed deep in his jeans pockets. His backpack hung from one shoulder, threatening to slide down with every step. Scott watched from the van as a group of older kids approached him, obviously taunting him. Patrick shoved past them and kept walking. His heart sank as the group circled around his son and started pushing him around the group. Scott’s hand instinctively moved to the door handle, but he stopped short of opening the door and charging the group, curious to see how Patrick would react. He cracked the window a bit to see if he could pick up some of their taunts. 

“Are you a loser like your dad?”

Patrick stumbled back from the shove to his shoulder. “My dad is not a loser!”

“He’s a greeter at BoxMart!”

“So? At least my dad has a job!” Scott smirked as Patrick jabbed the biggest kid in the stomach.

“Your dad is a pussy!” 

Scott saw one of the boys cocking his fist, aiming for Patricks left cheek, as he threw open the door of the van and started toward the group.

“Patrick, everything okay?”

The gang, startled by Scott’s arrival, scattered to the corners of the school yard.

“Dad!”

Patrick rushed up to his father and embraced him tightly around the waist. 

“What are you doing here? You haven’t picked us up in forever!”

“I got out of work a little early.” He rubbed Patrick’s back gently. “Are you okay, buddy boy?”

“I’m okay. Those guys are just jerks.”

“Maybe we need to talk to the principal and have someone out here watching out for you.”

Scott and Patrick settled on a bench by the gates, waiting for Ally to emerge from the building.

“Dad, they would be even worse if I’m being babysat in the school yard. It’s bad enough when they see Mrs. Lake pick me up.” Patrick said, sullenly.

“I don’t want to get a call at work and find out you’ve been hurt by one of these bullies. You need to be careful.”

“You and Uncle Charlie showed me how to take care of myself, remember?”

Scott smiled as he recalled the afternoon that he and Charlie had taken their kids to one of the parks in London and they had taught Patrick some basic defensive maneuvers to survive public school. Patrick, unfortunately, was small for his age, like Scott had been and therefore, he was easy pickings for the school bullies.

“I remember.” Scott assured him. “And I know you know the right thing to do if things get out of hand. Just take care of yourself.”

Patrick looped his arm around Scott’s waist and leaned against his side. “I promise I will Dad.”

Ally eventually walked out of school, also surrounded, but by a group of her friends. They were all engrossed in their phones, walking as they texted, probably to each other, eyes not lifting up from their screens. Ally stopped short a few feet away from Scott and Patrick, she looked up and Scott caught her look of sheer happiness at seeing him before she went back into public school princess mode and a look of boredom glazed over her features.

“Oh man, my dad’s here.” She moaned to the little group.

“The group stopped and looked at Ally, then at Scott.

“Your dad is hot.” 

“Eww!” Ally shot Jessica a dirty look. “He’s my dad!”

“Just saying.” Jessica mumbled. “My mom is a big fan of him and Tessa.”

“We haven’t seen Tessa since we were little.” Ally mused. “She used to give us the most amazing presents.”

“They don’t skate together anymore?” The group started to buzz and fingers flew on their cellphones. Even though they were young, they knew who Virtue and Moir were. Matter of fact, they showed up in a question during history class once, which had embarrassed Ally to no end.

“No. I barely even remember Dad skating.” Ally said sadly. “We used to go all the time, Dad would take us skating and Gran would be there.”

“That’s sad.” Jessica reached out to Ally. “You should ask him to take you guys skating one day.”

Ally shook her head, sadly. “He’s always working. Maybe mom or Bruce will take us.”

The group shared their goodbyes and promises to text as they split up and went their separate ways.

“Hi sweetie.” Scott stood and held his open arms out to his daughter. Ally looked around before she fell into his embrace with a sigh. “You never pick us up, dad! What’s going on?”

“I got off work early and thought I would come get you guys, maybe go for an early supper before I have to work at the restaurant. Would you like that?”

Ally gazed up at him with a genuine smile. “I’d love that!”

“Can we go to the diner?” Patrick asked excitedly. “They always give me extra ice cream!”

“Sure!” Scott laid his arms over his kids shoulders as they walked to the van. “To Prince Albert's Diner!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott, Ally and Patrick sat squeezed into one side of a booth. Neither child wanted to sit alone, so Scott was in the middle with one on each side. They had regaled him with tales of their school day, gone over their homework assignments and just chattered happily back and forth, pleased to spend some time with their father for a change.

“I do have a bit of news today, guys.” Scott stared down at the table, hating himself for what he was about to say. “Some of it’s bad, but mostly good.” He tried to sound hopeful.

Patrick was blowing bubbles in his milkshake and he sputtered as it overflowed onto the table.

“What’s wrong?”

Scott mopped up the spill with a napkin, avoiding the kids eyes. “Your mom wants to take you to Canada’s Wonderland on Friday, so she’s picking you up early that morning.”

“We lose a day with you?” Ally picked up her burger and set it down again. “We don’t get enough time with you as it is!”

“I’m sorry sweetie. It’s just one day. You’d be in school most of the day anyway, we wouldn’t have much time together.”

“That’s not the point!” Ally’s voice raised a notch. “We miss you! We hardly ever see you! Why can’t she take us on Saturday or Sunday?”

Scott took her hands in his. “I’m sorry baby, I really am. I have to do what your mom asks though.”

“I hate her!” Ally screeched, teeth clenched together. “I hate her!” Tears started to flow down her cheeks. 

Scott hugged her tightly, then dried her tears with his thumbs, gently tracing under her eyes and sweeping over her cheeks.

“You don’t really hate her.”

“You have no idea, dad.” Ally’s voice dropped to a whisper. “All we want to do is get back to you when we’re there.”

Scott’s heart dropped. Jocelyn had won the house in the divorce. His house that he had spent years renovating, his house that he worked so hard at to make it the perfect family house. His house that Ally had literally been born in because they were snowed in when she decided it was time to come out. His house that his children were raised in. To hear the kids didn’t even want to be there anymore, that they preferred the small cramped apartment over the hair salon on Main Street instead of the spacious country house with the huge yard hurt him to the core. The only reason he had been somewhat okay with Jocelyn getting the house was the knowledge that the kids would be able to live there and have some sense of normalcy. What the hell did Jocelyn do when the kids were with her?

“I’m so sorry sweetie, but next time you’re back with me, I was planning on taking you both somewhere on my day off. Anywhere you want to go. Anyplace at all.” He smiled fondly at her. “Would that help you feel better?”

Ally’s breath caught and hiccupped in her throat as she calmed herself. Patrick sat silently staring at his food. “We just love you dad. We want to be with you.” he said. “We don’t have to go anywhere.”

Scott pulled both of his children into his sides and hugged them fiercely. “I love you both so much. It kills me when you’re away from me. I don’t want to miss any time with you. It’s just one extra day, okay? Try to be happy? For me?”

“We’ll try.” Ally took a tiny bite of her burger. “Do you know what I’d like to do on your day off?”

Scott wiped his eyes. “Anything you wish, my dear.”

“I want to skate. I want us all to go skating for the day.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott spent the whole week the kids were gone planning their skating day. He dropped their skates off with Jocelyn to confirm they still fit, got them sharpened, bought Ally a cute pair of fluffy mittens with a matching scarf and Patrick a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs gloves. He went out for a few public skates just to make sure he could still skate, it had been a long time since he had been on the ice and used those muscles and he felt it at the end of his long days of work. He had decided to take them to a family skate at Thompson Arena. His mom still coached there a couple days a week and she was excited about seeing them all out on the ice once more.

Throughout the week he fielded phone calls from the kids, just calling to tell him how much they missed him. Scott spent those calls encouraging them, helping with homework, joking with them, telling them how much he loved them. After hanging up the phone, he would let his tightly held emotions go and cry over how much he was missing his kids.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“I can’t believe we get to go skating again!” Ally cheered as she gathered her skate bag from the back of the van. 

“Woohoo!” Patrick yelled. “This is going to be so much fun!”

“Did I tell you Gran is going to be here?” Scott’s eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled when their eyes grew wide and they began cheering again. 

They clambered into the packed change room and found space in the corner to tug on their skates. Scott helped them tie up their laces, then told them to check out their skate bags as he sat to put his skates on. Ally ran over to give him a hug for the new mittens and scarf and Patrick was showing everyone his new gloves and proudly telling them that his dad bought them for him.

“Okay guys, I think your old man is ready to go. Ready to skate?” 

The kids each grabbed a hand as they walked toward the ice surface. Alma waved from across the rink and the kids let go of Scott as soon as they spotted her, speeding off to greet her. Scott leisurely skated around, getting his feet under him and letting his muscles warm up. He twirled in small circles, and did some knee bends to get his blood flowing. As he turned to go backwards, he bumped into someone and heard the muffled shriek and curses as they fell. Spinning around, he put his hand out to help them up and was shocked to see those haunting green eyes staring up at him once again.


	5. Chapter 5

“Tessa?”

Scott gently grasped her hands and assisted her to a standing position. He bent to brush some snow off her knees, then awkwardly straightened up when he realized what he had been about to do.

“I’m so sorry, I should have been watching where I was going.”

“Same, same. I’m still not used to these public sessions but it’s the best way to get out and keep my skating muscles loose.” Tessa laughed and Scott’s heart leaped at the musical sound.

“I...um…I have day off and..um...the kids, Ally and Patrick..they wanted to go skating.” Scott knew he was stammering and he didn’t know how to stop. He hadn’t fully made up his mind about contacting Tessa again and he had to literally run right into her in the most random of places. Not that a skating rink was that random for either of them.

“Oh the kids are here?” Tessa’s eyes lit up. “I haven’t seen them since Patrick was..” Her last memory of them being together flashed through her mind “I guess, since he was really small.” She finished quietly.

“Yeah.” Scott replied, with a hint of guilt. “He was pretty small.”

“I’d love to see them.” 

Scott scanned the sea of skaters bobbing and weaving across the ice. His mother was still behind the boards where the kids had first seen her. He waved and Alma waved back, before pointing to the centre of the ice. Ally was spinning on one foot, Tessa and Scott both nodding appreciatively at her technique. Patrick was skating fast circles around her, reaching out, trying to knock her off balance.

“He reminds me so much of you.” Tessa laughed, as she watched Patrick weave around his sister, looking so much like Scott when he was young. “How old is he now?”

Scott watched his children admiringly before turning to Tessa. “He’s 10. Ally is 12. She’s going to be 13 in January.”

“Thirteen?” Tessa gasped “How did that happen? She was just a baby the other day!”

“I know!” Scott laughed. “I’m 44, I’m old!”

“Still look good.” Tessa murmured quietly. Scott whipped his head around at the comment, but Tessa was focused on the kids. “Let’s go skate with them!” She took off in a flash of blades and Scott had to sprint to catch up with her.

Patrick had taken off, skating around the perimeter of the rink, while Ally continued to work on her spins. Scott watched in awe, not realizing his daughter was so skilled. Ally stopped and smiled shyly at her father and Tessa. “Gran sometimes takes us skating when you’re working. She taught me some stuff.”

“Your gran is a good teacher.” Tessa enthused. “She’s a lovely lady.”

Ally stared at Tessa, then her father. “Aunt Tessa?”

Ally flung her arms around Tessa’s waist and hugged her enthusiastically. “This is the best day ever!”

Ally turned and hugged Scott tightly. “Thank you Dad! I’m so happy! You brought Aunt Tessa!”

Tessa watched father and daughter, her green eyes twinkling. “I don’t know how she remembers me, she would have only been two!”

Patrick skated up to the group and performed an impressive hockey stop, creating a flurry of snow. “Aunt Tessa?”

“Please don’t tell me you can remember me too?” Tessa implored.

“No, but Ally talks about you and Dad has lots of pictures.” Tessa looked up at Scott with a cheeky grin. “And we’ve seen you skate so many times with Dad on the computer.”

“You’ve seen us skate, huh? What do you think?”

Patrick shuffled his feet and considered. “I kinda like the umbrella one. You looked really pretty in that blue dress.” Tessa giggled as the child's cheeks turned red and she gave Scott a wink. “If I remember right, your Dad liked “Umbrellas” too.”

“It was the red hair, son.” Scott whispered confidentially, as he patted Patrick on the shoulder. “A Moir man’s kryptonite, it was.”

“I like “Moulin Rouge”!” Ally interjected. “But Dad won’t let me watch the Olympics one.”

Tessa’s face softened as she gazed at Scott. “You still haven’t watched it? After all these years?”

“No.” Scott mumbled. “I can still remember it like it was yesterday.”

“Your dress was so pretty!” Ally interrupted and saved Scott further embarrassment. 

“Maybe I can bring it over some time and you can see it, maybe try it on!” Tessa enthused.

“Oh!” Ally clapped her hands excitedly. “My friends would be so jealous!”

Scott slapped his hands on his upper thighs. “How about we skate? Your old Dad is going to turn to stone if he doesn’t move!”

Patrick and Ally clasped Scott’s hands and Ally reached out for Tessa.

“You’ll skate with us won’t you, Aunt Tessa?”

Tessa glanced at Scott and smiled at his slight nod of approval. “I’d love to skate with you!”

The quartet skated off hand in hand, gliding around the rink in perfect unison, until the kids got bored and wanted to skate faster and broke away.

“Thanks for skating with us. I’m sorry we took up so much of your time.” Scott apologized as they skated.

“It’s was fun.” Tessa assured him. “It was so good to see the kids again.”

“Yeah, they seemed pretty happy to see you.” Scott agreed. “Thanks for hanging out with us.”

“I do have to go.” Tessa looked down at the ice as she let go of Scott’s hand and spun around him. “But, can we do something before I go?

Scott looked her up and down nervously. “What did you have in mind?”

“The Golden Waltz?” she asked, hopefully.

Scott bowed to his former partner. “I would love to.”

They easily fell into the familiar rhythm, tracing the pattern of the compulsory dance, around the rink. The crowd of public skaters pushed back against the boards, aware they were witnessing something rare and beautiful. Ally and Patrick watched with their mouths hanging open. Watching their father skate on TV was one thing, but seeing him in person was totally different.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dad, today was the best day ever!”

Ally flopped down on her bed and let her bed linens fluff up around her. 

“It was so good to see Aunt Tessa again!”

Scott entered the room laughing at his daughter lying there buried in her bedding. “I’m glad you had fun today, sweetie, that means so much to me.”

Ally sat up and hugged her father around his neck before crawling under her covers. “I loved every second. It was so good to spend the day with you. All day! And then Aunt Tessa!”

“I didn’t know Aunt Tessa was going to be there, you know.”

“You didn’t?” Ally stared at him in disbelief. “But how?”

“She was just there skating.” Scott shrugged. “I had nothing to do with it.”

Ally closed her eyes as she snuggled under the covers and then she quickly popped them open. “Do you really think she will bring over the Moulin Rouge dress?”

He smoothed his hand gently over her hair. He didn’t want to get her hopes up, but the chances of Tessa coming over were pretty slim.

“I don’t know honey, Tessa usually says what she means, but I don’t know.”

“I’ll dream it into existence.” Ally declared, as Scott kissed her forehead and wished her a good night. “If I dream it, it will happen.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The phone rang as Scott entered his bedroom. He had finally gotten both kids to bed and almost asleep and he was ready to collapse. He glanced at the caller display and sighed deeply before picking up the phone.

“Hello Jocelyn.”

“I see you took the kids out of school today.” 

Scott pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, he could feel a headache coming on after this call.

“You did the same thing last week and said it was no big deal. My kids wanted to spend some time with me.”

“So you dragged them out of school to watch you and your whore slut around the ice rink?”

“Jocelyn.” Scott strained to keep his voice even and not show his rising anger. “I had no idea Tessa was going to be there.”

“You look pretty cozy in the photos I saw.”

“I should have known one of your lovely friends would be there to play paparazzi.” Scott sighed. “Doesn’t change the fact that I had no idea she was going to be there.”

“Wait until I tell my lawyer!” Jocelyn screeched. “You’ll be sorry then!”

“Did you forget that we’re divorced, J?” Scott stretched out on the bed, wincing as his muscles relaxed. “You already have everything I own, what more can you take from me?” 

“I can get sole custody.” Jocelyn threatened. “Don’t test me Scott.”

“I will not let you take my children from me. We are divorced, I can associate with whoever I would like.” 

“Not if you are feeling her up in front of my precious, underage, children.” Jocelyn growled. “They are innocent in all this.”

Scott rolled his eyes at the ceiling. “I will fight you to the end for my kids, Jocelyn.” he threw back at her. “They mean the world to me. You can do anything else, but you are not taking my kids from me.” He clicked the button and dropped the phone on the bed with a groan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Daddy!”

“What’s wrong buddy boy?” Scott stumbled down the pitch black hallway to his sons bedroom. Pushing the door open, he saw the bed linens tented with the small lighted square of Patricks cellphone. “You’re supposed to be asleep, why are you on your phone?” Scott admonished.

“Mom sent these pictures and said we are moving in with her forever!” Patrick cried.

Scott barely glanced at the phone as he took it away from his son and placed it in his pajama pants pocket. “You are doing no such thing.” he assured him. “Not while I’m your father.”

“I don’t wanna live with mom forever and not see you!” Patrick hiccuped into Scott’s bare shoulder as he cried. “I don’t wanna live with Bruce.”

Damn her all to hell. How dare she scare the kids like this, knowing full well how upset they would be. Maybe it was time to talk to his lawyer and see what his options were. This back and forth wasn’t healthy for the kids.

“You’re not going to live with Bruce. Your mom is just mad at me and she’s acting out.” Scott rubbed small circles on Patricks back. “Don’t you worry, son, I’m not going anywhere.”

Patrick sniffled and gazed up at his father. “Can we have manly snuggle time again?”

“Can we?” Scott grinned. “Do you know what my favourite thing in the whole world is?”

“Manly snuggle time?” Patrick guessed and managed to giggle through his tears.

“Whoo! Manly snuggle time!” Scott hoisted Patrick to his shoulders and traversed the dark hallway back to his room. “Get ready for some cuddles!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott shifted in his sleep, grunting as he pushed the blankets aside. His son was like a little heater, and he was attached securely to Scott’s side, dark hair tousled and snoring softly. He jerked suddenly when he felt vibrating against his leg, then he remembered Patricks phone that he had put in his pocket. He set it on the night table and then picked it up again. He scrolled through the messages, stopping to look at the photos Jocelyn had sent to him. They were all hazy, crappy cellphone photos of him and Tessa skating, a couple with Tessa standing close to him, but nothing incriminating. Scott shook his head and set the phone down again. Why in hell would a mother send those to her 10 year old son? Pausing, he lifted the phone again and scrolled through the photo roll. After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for. A photo of Jocelyn and the kids, with someone that must be the infamous Bruce. He held the phone close and studied the photo. Bruce reminded him of someone, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He forwarded the photo to himself and shut the phone down. Patrick murmured in his sleep and Scott wrapped his arms around him to comfort him.


	6. Chapter 6

**JJ - I have GREAT news!**

**ScoMo - Yeah?**

**JJ - I need to call you. I can’t tell you over text.**

**ScoMo - Okay, give me 5, I’m driving.**

**JJ - I can’t wait to tell you! Love you!**

**ScoMo - K, bye.**

 

_“Tess...I...have…” Scott stumbled over his words as he entered their bedroom. Actually it was her bedroom, but they had been sharing it for most of the year. “Shit.”_

_“What’s wrong, Scott?” Tessa was perched on the edge of her chair, putting the final touches on her makeup. “Did you forget we had a date night?” She giggled and pointed at his sweatshirt and jeans. “I hope you are dressing in something a little nicer?”_

_Scott pulled at his sweatshirt and nodded. “Um..yeah...I was just going to change.”_

_“Did you have something you wanted to ask?” Tessa brushed mascara over her lashes and studied Scott’s reflection in the mirror._

_“No, uh, no. I’m gonna get dressed now, okay?” He backed out of the room and into the spare room where he kept his clothes. He slumped against the wall and covered his eyes with his hands. He felt like he had been punched in the gut. He had to man up and tell her. It was only right._

“Hi Tess, it’s me, Scott.” He tipped her business card on end and twirled it on it’s corner. “I...uh...I’m calling for Ally, actually. Hey listen, just give me a call when you have a minute, okay?”

He had debated for two weeks over calling Tessa. He desperately wanted to see her again, but he didn’t know how she would feel about seeing him. He knew he broke her heart and he couldn’t blame her for wanting nothing to do with him. Both times he had run into her recently had been accidental. He couldn’t tell her feelings from those encounters.

He had finally decided to call for Ally, who had been despondent that Tessa had not shown up with the dress for her to try on. He hoped that Tessa wouldn’t think he was just trying to get her to come over. He tucked the card back into his wallet and sat back on the sofa, contemplating how he had ended up in this position.

_“Tess, I have something I need to tell you.” Scott whispered as he took her hand across the table._

_Tessa looked him him curiously. He’d been acting..off..was probably the best word, all night. He barely ate, which was unusual right there, and he’d been fidgety and quiet._

_“Do you remember JoJo? Jocelyn?”_

_Tessa considered for a moment. “Didn’t she skate with us? Summer sessions or something? Wasn’t she with Charlie for a little bit?”_

_“Yeah.” Scott swallowed hard. “That’s her.”_

_“What about her?”_

_“Her grandma died about a month ago, when you were in France with your sister and mom. She came home. A bunch of us went out for lunch together with her and her sister.”_

_Tessa straightened up, keeping her hand in Scott’s, but just barely._

_“I..I...got drunk and we messed around.”_

_He looked up at Tessa’s sharp intake of breath. The stricken look on her face almost killed him._

_“I never meant...God...Tess… I don’t know what happened...we met up a few more times at her sisters...you were away and I...just...”_

_“What do you need to tell me Scott?” Tessa’s voice was like cold steel. She slowly pulled her hand away and Scott’s fingers instantly curled into a fist as if he’d been burned. “Are we done? Again? Are you with her now? JoJo?” She almost spat out the name._

_“No. Yes. She’s pregnant.” Scott blurted out. “Tessa..I’m so sorry..so, so..sorry.”_

_“What are you going to do?” Tessa was void of emotion and it scared Scott to look at her. She just sat stiffly, steadily gazing at him without blinking._

_“She’s pregnant with my child, we’re going to get married and try to make the best of it.” Scott admitted, defeated. “I don’t know what else to do. I need to be there for my child.”_

_“She could…” Tessa began._

_“She doesn’t want one.”_

_“Of course.”_

_“I don’t want her to get one.”_

_Tessa made a sound as if she’d been slapped._

_“Tess, I don’t know what to say. I never meant for anything to happen.” Scott implored. “I was drunk and she...it wasn’t right, but I..”_

_“Just be quiet Scott.” Tessa pulled her cellphone out of her purse. “I’m calling mom to come pick me up, it would be best if you aren’t here when she arrives.”_

_“Tess..I’m so sorry.” Scott reached for her, and she spun around so fast her chair almost tipped._

_“Don’t touch me Scott, I swear to God.” Tessa smiled at the waiter as he passed their table and asked if everything was okay. “I’d like some more water please.” she gestured to her glass. “Thank you.”_

_“Tess.”_

_“Leave Scott. Now. I don’t want to make a scene.” Tessa rummaged in her purse for her credit card. “I hope you're happy with JoJo.”_

_Scott stood and silently placed his hand on her shoulder, he could feel her shaking and struggling to keep her emotions in check. “I’m sorry, T.”_

_He walked away, pausing to look back when he reached the doorway. Tessa had crumpled to the table, her head buried in her arms, the force of her tears causing her shoulders to shake. He took a step towards her, then, tears streaming down his face, turned and walked away._

He regretted his decision almost from that day forward. He never regretted his children, never for a moment. He loved Ally and Patrick more than anything in this world from the moment they were born. His family was upset with him when he told them that he was marrying Jocelyn and the circumstances surrounding the marriage. Charlie had taken him to the King Edward and ripped him a new one. Scott sat and took it. He knew he deserved every word. 

_“I admire that you are going to be there for the kid, but Jesus Christ Scott. Where the hell is your brain? T is..was the best thing in your life. And you fucked her over for JoJo? You are an asshole, man.”_

Only his mom and dad showed up for the wedding. His mom cried through the whole thing and they both were straining to be civil to Jocelyn and her family at the reception.

After the marriage, they moved into Scott’s home. Charlie had helped him finish the renovations in the summer, so they just needed to furnish the baby’s room. Jocelyn quickly showed her true colours by demanding a total redo of the furnishings in the rest of the house, complaining that if she had to live in the sticks she wanted to do it in style.

Shortly after the wedding, Scott had to meet with Tessa for the first time since their breakup to discuss the tour they had been planning prior to this whole mess. Regardless of their personal situation, they were professionals and the show had to go on. Tessa demanded their agents be at all meetings and she let them do all the talking for her. She barely glanced at Scott throughout, simply doodling on her notepad as the agents hashed out all the fine points. When he brought up the baby’s due date and his need to be available to fly home at a moments notice, Tessa slapped her notepad down on the table and stormed out of the room. Somehow though, without talking to one another they got the tour worked out and choreographed their new show numbers. They worked individually at first, then with their choreographer in attendance at each practice. Tessa slowly took the first steps in opening up to Scott, asking how Jocelyn was doing and if he was excited for the birth of his first child.

_“Do you know what it is yet?” Tessa asked, as she drew circles on the ice with her toepick._

_“The doctor thinks it’s a girl. All the ultrasounds show the same thing, so he’s pretty certain.”_

_Tessa skated off and returned with a huge box decorated with an equally huge pink bow. She pushed it towards Scott and brushed tears from her eyes._

_“Tell her..tell her it’s from Aunt Tessa, please.”_

Jocelyn had freaked out when she saw the gift from Tessa, screaming that she was never to be allowed in her house or near her child. Scott hid the gift in the garage, promising himself to dig it out once the baby was born and Jocelyn was distracted with her care.

They had been scheduled to fly out to start tour rehearsals after Christmas, but it was too close to the baby’s due date. Weather was dicey and Scott wanted to stay close to home. Jocelyn had been miserable being confined to the house and was complaining bitterly about wanting the pregnancy to be over with. Scott tried to placate her and keep her happy, but he found it difficult when he wasn’t happy himself. The holidays were awkward, the family came to their place to celebrate and everyone tiptoed around Jocelyn not wanting to set her off.

_“This isn’t how I remember your house. Scott?” Alma questioned._

_“Well J, she wanted to change a few things.” Scott ran his hands through his hair nervously. “But come see the baby’s room!”_

_He had painted the room in muted pinks and browns with owls and bird decals covering one wall, a large rocking chair by the crib and matching pink and brown blankets hanging over it. A large vase with pink peonies stood in the corner with a large stuffed elephant wearing a pink bow leaning against it. The closet already held a few tiny outfits, hanging on impossibly small hangers._

_“What do you think?” Scott’s voice trembled. “This a good room for your new granddaughter?”_

_Alma hugged him tightly. “It’s a beautiful room, sweetie. I’m so proud how responsible you are being for this innocent little girl that’s coming into this world.”_

_“I’m trying Momma.” Scott swiped a tear away. “I know this isn’t the way we expected to welcome a new Moir.”_

_“Hush now. Any new Moir is welcome in our family. Sometimes accidents happen. A new baby is a welcome accident. I just hope it all works out for you, sweetheart.”_

_“Thanks Momma.”_

_“Well here you all are.” Jocelyn shuffled into the room, one hand supporting her back. “I’ve been looking all over for you, darling.” She pushed Alma aside to allow herself to stand next to Scott and wrapped her arms around him. “Don’t you love what he’s done with the baby’s room?” she cooed, as she looked around. “What the hell are those?”_

_Scott’s eyes followed her pointing finger. “They’re peonies, J. I thought flowers would be a nice touch.”_

_“I hate peonies!” Jocelyn screeched, as she stormed over to the corner. She picked up the vase and threw it across the room, water droplets falling like rain as it spiralled through the air before landing in pieces in front of the crib. “No goddam peonies!”_

_His parents stood in stunned silence as Scott stooped to pick up the broken pieces of the vase. He carefully stacked them in his hand, then stood to help Jocelyn to the rocking chair._

_“You know you shouldn’t be over exerting yourself right now.” he chided._

_“Anything to get this damn thing out of me.”_

_Alma opened her mouth to say something and Joe discreetly guided her out of the room._

_“Why do you have to be like this?” he asked, as he patted the floor with paper towels. “I’m doing everything I can for you and the baby.”_

_“I know you are sweetie, you just didn’t know.”_

_“Peonies are pretty, Tessa…”_

_“I don’t give a damn about Tessa.” Jocelyn snarled. “If she likes peonies, I never want to see them in my house again!”_

Their management had been able to book some private ice time in the London area, so they could get their rehearsals in while Scott was able to stay near to home. After a few hours of run throughs Tessa begged for a coffee break.

_“How are things going, Scott?” Tessa asked, blowing on her coffee to cool it down._

_“Okay.” He took a sip and hissed as the liquid burned his tongue. “Jocelyn is having some major pregnancy hormone moments.”_

_“I thought that was over this close to the end?”_

_“Guess not.” Scott muttered. “The slightest thing will set her off. I’m walking on eggshells at home.”_

_“And you’re okay with that?” Tessa asked, incredulous._

_“It will be better when the baby is here, she’ll calm down.”_

_“You hope.” Charlie had been keeping Tessa informed about Jocelyn’s antics and how she was steamrolling Scott at every turn._

_“I can’t wait to meet her.” Scott said, wistfully. “My daughter. Can you believe it?”_

_“You’ll be a great dad.” Tessa patted his hand and tried to hold back the tears as she smiled warmly._

_Scott reached his hand out and stroked her cheek gently. Tessa pulled away as if she’d been slapped._

_“Scott.” she warned. “I think it’s best if you keep your hands to yourself.”_

_“I..uh...yeah...sorry, T.”_

Scott slipped upstairs to check on the children. Ally was splayed across her bed, the bedding hanging off the end, just barely covering one foot. He straightened the bedding, tucking her back in and planted a tender kiss on her forehead. 

Ally decided to be born on the worst day of the year. The worst day of the last several years.  
Scott had managed to shovel a path to the garage to be able to gather wood for the fire, but that was it. The snow was three feet deep and still coming down. He had just got the wood in the living room when Jocelyn screamed from upstairs. He dropped his coat to the floor and flew upstairs. Jocelyn was leaning against the wall just outside of the bathroom, crying and breathing heavily.

_“The baby’s coming!”_

_“Shit!” Scott scrambled for his cell phone. “We can’t leave the house, the snow is too deep!”_

_He helped Jocelyn back to the bedroom and got her settled on the bed._

_“I’m calling Charlie. He’ll know what to do.” Scott proclaimed. “Just take it easy.”_

_Jocelyn screamed and grabbed his hand. “Hurry!”_

_“How long have you been having contractions?” Scott winced as Jocelyn gripped his hand fiercely. “Hey Charlie, we have a situation here. I might need you to talk me through this one.”_

Scott was so proud of his daughter, Allison Alma Marie Moir, he was even more proud that he had been the one to bring her into this world with no help, except for his frantic brother yelling out advice over the phone. With the birth of their daughter being much more personal and intimate than planned, things began to mellow between him and Jocelyn. She was much more relaxed with Scott and his family and they started to settle into being a family of their own. They travelled together for the first half of the tour until Jocelyn started complaining it was just too much dealing with a newborn and the stress of travelling almost every day on a bus.

_“What the hell, J?” Scott yelled, his phone set to speaker on the bed as he juggled Ally and her bottle. “Where are you?”_

_“Oh, honey, I flew home. The bus was getting to me.”_

_Scott sat on the edge of the bed, Ally finally accepting the bottle and quieting down._

_“So you left Ally with our physiotherapist?”_

_“Darling, she gave me a fabulous massage and we talked. I told her how bored I was since you are hardly ever there. She said she would watch Ally until you got there.”_

_“But...who’s going to watch her when I’m on the ice?” He leaned back against the pillows, gazing down at Ally, who was slowly falling asleep in his arms. “Did you stop to think about that?”_

_“No, set it over there...no..turn it a little...there…”_

_“What are you doing, Jocelyn?”_

_“I’m just changing up the living room a bit.” Jocelyn chirped. “You know, new year, new start!”_

_Scott groaned. She had redone the house when she moved in and now she was changing it all again? He couldn’t wait to see that credit card bill. Ally gave out a little cry and Scott shifted her to his shoulder for a burp._

_“I just wished you would have talked to me before you left, J.” Ally burped loudly and snuggled into the hollow of his neck and shoulder. “Like maybe said goodbye or something.”_

_“Oh. Well.” Jocelyn paused. “Yes, I suppose I should have, but I had a great idea for the house and I was so bored.”_

_“That’s great, well thanks, J. We won’t be home for another month yet. I’ll find someone to help out with Ally.”_

_“Oh stop being a martyr. She’s your daughter and she likes you better anyway.” Jocelyn sniffed._

_“She’s a baby.” Scott protested. “She likes anyone that holds her and gives her love.”_

Travelling with a newborn and no wife to help proved interesting, but Scott was finding that he could handle a lot more than he thought he could by himself. He arranged for the costume assistants to watch Ally during the show and Marianne, their physiotherapist looked after her during practice. The rest of the time, Scott was bundling her up to take her on long walks, laying on the bed and reading to her or just talking endlessly to her. Ally must have found his voice soothing, she would instantly fall asleep on his chest, her tiny head snuggled right up under his chin.

_Scott woke in a cold sweat and stared at the time on his phone. 3:30 am. Ally was up at 3am for a feeding every night like clockwork. He heard no sound from her. Tossing the blankets aside he jumped out of bed and crossed over to her bassinet. No Ally. Frantically, he searched the bus stopping short when he got to the lounge and heard soft singing._

_“Hush little baby don’t say a word, your papa’s going to buy you a mockingbird  
And if that mockingbird don’t sing, papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.”_

_There was Tessa pacing the room slowly, holding Ally and singing to her while she fed her a bottle. She paused and tickled Ally’s stomach. “Isn’t that silly? Your papa would buy you a pair of skates before a diamond ring!”_

_Scott leaned against the door, his heartbeat slowly returning to normal. Watching Tessa with his daughter, acting like she cared for her everyday, made his heart break._

_“Hey.” he finally whispered._

_“Hi.”_

_“I can take her now, if you want.”_

_“I’m sorry she was crying so loud and I know how you sleep like the dead.”_

_“I normally do hear her, I promise.”_

_“Is it okay if I hold her until she’s done her bottle?”_

That was the beginning of the return of the normal close relationship between Tessa and Scott. Truth be told they had both missed each other terribly, but neither one would be the first to admit it. They began taking Ally for walks together and alternated putting her down for naps and holding her for feedings. Scott was thankful for the extra hands, and for being able to spend quality time with Tessa. Time that he thought he would never have again.

_They sat on the bed, little Ally between them sleeping peacefully._

_“She’s so gorgeous, Scott.” Tessa lightly ran her hand over Ally’s tufts of soft dark hair. “I always wanted a cute little baby girl.”_

_“She should be ours.” Scott said quietly. “I don’t know why I actively try and kill the good things in my life. I’m such a asshole.”_

_“No, you’re…” Tessa paused. “Well, I guess you are an asshole.”_

_“Ouch!” Scott winced._

_“But you are fiercely loyal. You stepped up to be the daddy of this little girl and to give her the best life possible, even though it ruined the life we had, you had. It’s been hard to deal with but I can understand where you are coming from, somewhat.”_

_“I truly am sorry for my actions, T. I never wanted to hurt you.”_

_Tessa leaned over the sleeping baby and kissed Scott full on the lips. “I know that now.”_

_“T, what are you doing?” Scott asked, nervously._

_“I miss you.” She kissed him again, parting his lips with her tongue. “Convince me you don’t want this.”_

_Scott didn’t hesitate. He returned her kiss as he lifted her over Ally’s tiny sleeping body and set her gently at his side._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING - This chapter contains a homophobic slur that is only used to show the vile nature of the character using the word. I do not agree with the word, and cannot abide when people use it, but I know that it sadly is still is use by some individuals. No harm was intended in the usage of this word.

_“Scott? I’m sorry I missed your call the other day. I’ve been away on business. You’re calling for Ally? Oh! The dress! God, she must hate me. Give me a call and let me know when is a good time. Sorry again!”_

Scott cursed as he set the bags of groceries on the floor and he listened to Tessa’s voice fill the room. Naturally, she would call while he was out. He thought about what he should say to her as he stored the food in the cupboards and refrigerator. He had to make sure she knew he was calling for Ally and not the fact that he wanted to see her again. He decided not to return the call right away, that would just look desperate. The kids were coming home tonight so he needed to do some cleaning up. The apartment tended to become more like a bachelor pad when the kids were away. Scott worked longer hours when they were available and just didn’t spend much time at home. He gathered up the laundry, freshened up the kids rooms and tidied up the kitchen and living room before sitting down for a breather with a glass of wine. His day had been jam packed with both jobs, a quick visit to his parents, stopping at the kids school for parent/teacher talks and, finally, grocery shopping. He felt his eyes slipping shut as he relaxed, he contemplated just giving in and falling asleep, regardless of how brief that sleep might be when the doorbell buzzed loudly. Scott groaned as he stretched and trudged to the door. 

“Daddy!” Patrick tossed his bag to the side and threw himself at Scott, almost knocking him over as he hugged him fiercely. “I missed you!”

Scott laughed as he leaned over to kiss the top of Patrick’s head. “I missed you too, buddy boy!” 

Ally tried to dart by, but Scott threw out his arm and pulled her into the hug. “I missed you, sweetie.”

Ally gave him a perfunctory kiss and squirmed out of his grasp, carrying her bag up the stairs to her room.

Scott watched her sadly, wondering what had happened at Jocelyn’s this time.

“So, if all the hugs and kisses are done, can we talk here?”

Scott looked up in confusion at the deep male voice, realizing for the first time that it wasn’t Jocelyn dropping the kids off, but the man from the photo on Patrick’s phone.

“Patrick, go put your stuff away, okay? I’ll be up when we’re done here.” Patrick looked at the two men, nodded and slowly went upstairs.

“Hi, I’m Scott.” he held his hand out, keeping a smile on his face, despite his feeling of unease.

“I’m Bruce.” He ignored Scott’s hand. “Jo was busy tonight, so I had to bring the kids home.”

“Busy?” Scott questioned, folding his arms over his chest. “What’s she got going on now?”

“Not really any of your business.” Bruce grinned at him. “You gave her up, you got no right to question what she does.”

“Well, actually, she divorced me.” Scott corrected. “But I guess you’re right. I just like to know who is watching my children.”

“When Jo’s not around, I am.” 

“Well, who the hell are you?” Scott persisted. “Are you family, a friend?” 

“Yeah, we’re friends.” Bruce laughed loudly. “We spend a lot of time together.”

“Just remind Jocelyn that if she gets into a permanent relationship, the amount I have to pay her goes down.” Scott was feeling brave even though this man towered over him, “I’ve seen some photos.”

“Listen, loser. You’re going to owe Jocelyn until those brats are both 18. We aren’t stupid.”

“My children aren’t brats.” Scott bristled at the suggestion. “Maybe they just don’t like the company they have to keep.”

“Your son’s a fag, like you, and your daughter, well now, your daughter is hot. She’s a beauty.”

Scott stood in stunned silence, rage building as Bruce’s words sunk into his head. “Get out of my house, now.” He stared stonily at Bruce. 

“Alright, alright, loser figure skater, don’t hit me with your toe picks!” Bruce chuckled at his joke. “I’m leaving. You need to call Jo though, she wants the kids early next week again.” He saluted cheerily and sauntered out. Scott remained by the door, watching Bruce enter his car, grinding his teeth when Bruce honked the car horn and waved his middle finger out the window. Scott’s hands bunched into fists, his muscles quivering as he replayed the conversation in his head. Slamming the door shut, he took a deep breath and downed the last of his wine to help calm him before he went up to see the kids.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ally was buried under her blankets with all the lights off. Scott could hear her sobbing and it broke his heart.

“Sweetie? Are you still awake?”

The bedding rustled so Scott took that for a yes. Sitting on the side of the bed, he pulled at the edge of her comforter. “Sweetheart, I love you, can I say good night to you?”  
Ally sat up suddenly and hugged Scott around the neck. “I never want to go back there, dad! Please, you can’t make me!”

HIs heart sinking, Scott rubbed her back gently as she clung to him. “What’s going on, baby girl? Talk to your dad, please?”

“Bruce is disgusting! He had friends over tonight and I heard them talking about me. He...he…” Ally stopped, her voice hiccupping into tears again. “He was saying how hot I am and how I’m sexier than mom.”

Scott froze. “Has he touched you? Ever?” He silently prayed that Ally would be truthful with him and that the answer was negative.

“No, no...like, he’s hugged me, but, I guess he might have kissed me, but like, a goodbye kiss, not...not on the lips.”

Scott pulled her close, hugging her so tightly he was afraid her might hurt her. He knew his daughter was growing up, developing and looking more mature than her almost 13 years. The thought of her growing up, especially without a constant female presence to help with the transition from girl to woman, terrified him, but he had always thought his worry would be teenage boys trying to hook up with her, not grown men. 

“I will do everything in my power to make sure you don’t have to be around Bruce anymore, honey. I promise.” Scott loosened his hold on her, holding her away slightly to see her face. “I’m so sorry, baby, I had no idea.” He kissed her nose as he brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “Your brother told me he didn’t like Bruce, but he only told me about Bruce making fun of me.”

“Patrick wasn’t there.” Ally sniffled. “He was in his room packing. I went down to get a snack and I heard them.”

“They didn’t see you?” 

Ally shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Have you heard him talk about you like this before, has Patrick? I need to know, sweetie.”

“No. But his friends are there a lot.” Ally shivered in Scott’s arms. “They creep me out.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott was still feeling helpless the next morning as he went through his work day. Ally hadn’t wanted to talk about it any more last night and he didn’t blame her. Patrick confirmed that he hadn’t heard Bruce say anything about Ally, but that he and his friends made them both nervous. He hesitated on calling Jocelyn because he knew he would just blow up at her. He called his lawyer and had an appointment to see him after his first job was done for the day. He didn’t know what else to do. At least he had a visit from Tessa to look forward to. She had called back and promised to be there in time to meet Ally after school. And she promised she would bring the dress.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Scott! So nice to see you again!” Tessa threw her arms around him and Scott again, stood in stunned silence before he returned the hug. 

“Good to see you again too!” Scott agreed. “Ally will be so happy to see you, she’s been a little down lately.”

“Oh no!” Tessa stepped out of the hug and set her purse and dress bag on the stairs. “Is she upset because I forgot the dress?”

“Oh no, it’s a little more...complicated than that. Here.” Scott gestured for Tessa to turn around so he could take her coat. “Let me get you a drink and we can sit in the other room.”

Tessa followed him to the living room, glancing around the cramped space sympathetically. Scott had done a good job of furnishing it nicely on a small budget. It was quite apparent that the apartment had been laid out with the children in mind, everything from the labelled kitchen cupboards and the computer and homework station, to the pillows and blankets stacked neatly in a corner by the television. The furniture was well worn, but solid. She could see in the slightly open closet, boots and shoes neatly lined up, coats hanging above, umbrellas and hats hanging on hooks within their reach. 

“This looks really homey and comfortable.” Tessa exclaimed, her voice pitching slightly higher than normal, to her dismay.

Scott looked at her and followed her gaze as she took in his apartment. Embarrassment wormed its way through his mind, he had fallen hard from where he once was. He hoped she wouldn’t pity him, that was the last thing he needed. “It’s small, I know. But I’ve got almost everything I could ever want here.”

Tessa face flushed and she glanced to the floor. “It’s just lovely. You mentioned a drink?”

Scott reeled off a list of refreshments and went about pouring them both a coffee, when they mutually agreed that wine would be nice but they both needed to drive later.

They settled down in the living room, Scott on his chair and Tessa on the sofa, tucked in the corner with her legs folded under her.

“So what is Ally so down about?” Tessa took a sip of her coffee, blowing the steam away as she did.

Scott relayed the story of the kids last visit to their moms house and ended with his plea to his lawyer that his ex wife and boyfriend be looked into by children's services.  
Tessa looked horrified as Scott finished talking. “That sounds awful! Who is this guy? Is he someone you know?” 

“No, I don’t think so. His name is Bruce something. I have a photo.” Pulling his phone from his pocket he opened the photo and handed it to Tessa. “That’s him with the kids.”

“Oh Scott!” Tessa started typing into her phone. “I think I read about this guy, you need make sure Ally is never alone with him again!” Her fingers flew over her phone until she uttered a single “Yes!” and handed the phone to Scott.

**“...Mr. Bruce McCleery, 50, of North London has been released from prison, after serving 4 years for a charge of pedophilia and related sex offenses. He is currently thought to be living in the North London area. There are reports he could possibly be living in the Ilderton area as well. If you believe…”**

Scott handed her phone back, his face drained of colour. “What can I do? They go back on Saturday!”

“You need to call your lawyer.” Tessa urged. “You need to file for sole custody. _Now.” ___

____

“God.” Scott ran his fingers through his short hair. “I can’t afford it, Tess.” He sighed heavily. “I went to see the lawyer about an investigation and I can’t even afford that. I’ve filed twice now for sole custody and got nowhere. Courts think children should be with their mothers.” 

__

“Not if the mother is dating a pedophile!”

__

“I’ve got no proof.”

__

“You’ve got that photo. Even if she isn’t dating him, it’s proof that she allowed the kids near him.”

__

Scott sat with his head in his hands. “I’ll figure something out, even if I have to stay there with them.”

__

Tessa gently lay her hand on his knee. “How bad is it, Scott?”

__

He looked up with tears in his eyes, she could tell he was trying to not let them fall. 

__

“How bad is it?” He gestured with his arms open wide. “We live in a goddamn shoebox over a hair salon. I work two shitty jobs and I live from paycheck to paycheck. I see my kids every other week. All the money I have saved goes to support _her_ every month.” He took a great gasping breath. “I have my children, but I lost everything else T. Everything.”

__

“Let me help you. Please, Scott.” Tessa begged. “I can’t stand to think of Ally and Patrick being around that man.”

__

“I appreciate your offer Tess, but I just can’t. I got myself into this mess and hurt everyone I love in the process. I'll figure it out.”

__

_“Scott.”_ she warned. 

__

“No Tess. I don’t need your pity.” he insisted.

__

“It’s not pity, I just want to help.” she added, sadly. 

__

Scott took her hands and held them tight. “I appreciate your offer, I really do. But I hurt you most of all and I just can’t take your money.”

__

At that moment the kids burst through the door, chattering back and forth to each other and laughing over a joke one of them told. 

__

“Hey kids.” Scott swiped at his eyes and forced a smile.

__

“Daddy!”

__

“Aunt Tessa!”

__

Dropping their backpacks, they ran into the room and hugged their father and his guest excitedly.

__

“Did you bring the dress Aunt Tessa? Please?” Ally bounced up and down on the tips of her toes in anticipation.

__

“I did!” Tessa gave Ally a bright smile. “It’s in the dress bag on the stairs. Would you like me to help you?”

__

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“May I present Miss Allison Moir as Satine!” Tessa announced from the stairs. 

__

Scott was helping Patrick with his homework and he turned to be able to see his daughter.

__

Ally glided down the steps and posed at the bottom. Tessa had fixed Ally’s long dark hair into a bun and swept some of her lipstick across Ally’s lips. She looked stunning in the skating dress and so very much like Tessa. Scott felt tears pricking at his eyes. His baby girl looked so grown up. As he watched Tessa fuss over her, adjusting the dress and fixing her hair, a lump formed in his throat. Tessa was treating Ally like her own daughter. If he hadn’t been such a dumbass, Tessa would have been his wife and she would be tending to her, to their, daughter. Tessa grabbed her phone and started snapping photos as Ally twirled and recreated poses from their famous free dance. The sound of their laughter made his heart ache. Tessa called him over to pose with Ally. He gave Tessa a small hug before standing beside his daughter. “Thank you so much, T. You have no idea what this means to her.” He pulled Ally close and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “You look beautiful darling. So grown up.”

__

Ally beamed up at her father as Tessa snapped the photo. Tessa looked on fondly as father and daughter posed happily together. She could tell how proud Scott was of Ally. She had seen that look on his face many times, only it used to be reserved for her. She thought back to the last time she wore the dress that Ally was currently wearing. She and Scott had just finished skating the program of their lives at the Olympics and Scott had hugged her so tightly she could barely breathe.

__

_“I will love you til the end of time.”_ he had whispered in her ear. 

__

She thought she had been foolish to believe him, at the time. Then he and Jocelyn hooked up and she never thought she could forgive him again. When she saw him struggling with newborn Ally during the tour, she had softened. She thought it was because of Ally, but it turned out those feelings for Scott were still there. She never should have let him back in, especially while he was married. She’d been such a fool. When they had been together for the last time and Tessa told him to go back to his wife, the hurt in his eyes almost crushed her. As sorry as she was for his current situation, Tessa couldn’t help but think that it was almost a good thing, that maybe he finally learned a lesson. She didn’t want to admit she had been happy that Jocelyn dumped him, but she had drunk a toast that night at dinner when she heard the news. Then she saw him in that damn department store and all those old feelings came back. She felt herself grinning like a fool when Scott picked Ally up and spun her around in their final spin of the program. He was such a good father, she could tell he was a changed man and it warmed her heart. Could she let him back in? Did she want to let him back in?

__


	8. Chapter 8

Scott sat stiffly across from Tessa, his hands nervously folding and unfolding on the desktop.

Tessa had called him late the night before, asking him to take the day off and promising that it would be worth his while. Scott had protested, telling her he needed the money more than ever now and couldn’t afford to call in. Tessa had insisted and here he was.

“Tessa, I really can’t afford to miss a day of work. Every penny counts right now.” Scott complained.

Tessa smiled at him, her green eyes shining. “I know Scott, please hear me out.” Reaching into a desk drawer, she pulled out a file folder.

“Recently my personal assistant put in for a leave of absence. She’s pregnant and wants to spend more time with her husband during the pregnancy. I completely understand, my life is pretty fast paced and there is a lot of travel involved. I don’t think I’d want to be pregnant with my schedule.” She laughed out loud and stopped when she noticed Scott wasn’t laughing with her. “Anyway. My point is, I need a new personal assistant.”

Scott raised his eyebrows. “You had me take the day off work to tell me that? Seriously?” He placed his palms flat on the desk and pushed himself up. “I need to go.”

Tessa placed her hand on his and he stopped in his tracks. “Please let me finish.”

Scott sat back down with a scowl on his face. “You said this was worth my taking the day of work.”

“It is.”

“I fail to see how your personal assistant being pregnant and needing a new one is earth shattering to my life. I have two kids to provide for and you cost me a days pay, Tess. You know what I’m dealing with!”

“I do Scott, and I want to help, which is why I’m offering you this.” Tessa opened the folder and pushed a piece of paper across the table.

Scott ignored the paper and looked at her questioningly. 

“Please read it.” Tessa implored.

Scott picked it up and scanned through the document. He nodded a couple of times and outright laughed when he was done. Setting it down, he smirked at her.

““You want to be my boss?” he asked, scornfully. “You want me to run and get you coffee and croissants? To be at your beck and call? I must have done a good job at BoxMart when you had that thing.”

“It’s not like that at all.” Tessa insisted. “I really do need an assistant. I need someone that is organized, can keep track of my appointments and will get me where I need to be when I need to be there. I need someone like you.”

Scott folded his arms across his chest and raised his eyebrows. “You want me, the king of sleeping in, to get you to appointments on time? I’m not buying it Tess. I know what you are trying to do here and it’s not going to work. I told you I would figure things out on my own.”

“You haven’t slept in since the comeback.” Tessa retorted. “And I am willing to bet that ever since your kids have been in school you haven’t slept in.” Scott opened his mouth to protest, but Tessa continued. “And, I bet you have all their schedules and appointments written down in a calendar that you keep meticulous track of.” She gave him a smug look. “And you haven’t missed a day of work or been late at either of your jobs, have you?”

“Damn it Tess.”

“Look Scott.” Tessa folded her hands in front of her on the desk. “I need an assistant. With you, I don’t have to go through that awkward getting to know you phase and wondering if I made the right choice. I know you won’t be talking about me online or to the press. I know how well you keep records and keep track of things. You would be excellent for the job.”

Scott exhaled loudly and leaned back in his chair. “Tess, really, I appreciate what you are trying to do here, but I can’t take a handout. I already told you that.”

“Jesus Scott!” Tessa exploded. “Don’t be so damned stubborn. These are your children. I know you would walk to the ends of the earth for them. You don’t have to do this alone.” 

Scott stared at Tessa, shocked that she had actually yelled at him. All through their career they had arguments and discussions, but they had never outright yelled at each other in anger.

“I’m sorry Scott.” she apologized. “But I’m offering you, not only money, but an opportunity to spend more time with Ally and Patrick, to offer them a better life and what’s better than more time with their father? Those kids love you and they need you. How can you, in good conscience, turn that down?”

Sighing, Scott, picked up the paper again, re-reading the job details carefully. “How much are we talking about here?”

Tessa pulled another paper from the folder and pushed it across the desk to Scott. Picking it up, he glanced over the contract, his eyes bulging when he reached the sum at the bottom of the page.

“That’s a yearly sum, of course.” Tessa confided easily. “You will be paid monthly, holiday and sick pay, naturally, and benefits.” 

“Benefits?” Scott couldn’t believe this. He didn’t qualify for benefits at either job. Regardless of how many hours he worked, he was still classed as part time. He couldn’t afford to purchase anything additional that would help cover costs either. Benefits to help with the expenses were a dream he never thought would come true.

“Now, and don’t fight me on this one, because of special circumstances, I will be advancing you the first months pay while you give your two weeks notice at your other jobs.”

“Tess, no.”

She held her finger up and waved it in his face. “I said don’t fight me on this. It’s for Ally and Patrick and to get them away from that horrible woman and her boyfriend.” Tessa shuddered as she said the word. “You will take this advance and go right to your lawyer and start proceedings.”

“I never said I was taking the job.” Scott sat back and studied Tessa. She sat smugly gazing back at him. She knew she had made him an offer he could ill afford to refuse. Tessa had always been the reasonable, pragmatic one between the two of them. He should have known she would find a way to help him without just handing him a check and having him worry about attempting to pay it back.

“Scott, I know we haven’t seen each other for 10 years, and we’ve grown apart, but I still know a lot about you. One thing I know for sure is that you are not a stupid man.” She held up her hand to silence Scott’s burst of laughter. “You’ve made stupid decisions, but you are not a stupid man.”

Scott stood and bowed to her in surrender. “When do I start, boss?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking out of Tessa’s office, Scott shook his head in disbelief. He pulled the cheque out of his jeans pocket and stared at the amount written on it. He hadn’t seen that much money on one cheque in a long time. 

He thought he had been smart with his money from skating. He bought the house, saved some and invested some, but once he married Jocelyn they tore through his nest egg pretty quickly. She redecorated the house more times than he could count, they travelled extensively - to Paris, Australia, Italy and England and more, they had four or five vehicles that had to be upgraded every year. Jocelyn loved to shop and only the highest quality would do. When Ally was born, Jocelyn wouldn’t let her wear cheap clothing, so she bought her expensive outfits that she ended up outgrowing before she could even wear them. When Patrick came along, the pattern repeated. Then the divorce. Scott had been ill prepared for the divorce proceedings and Jocelyn’s lawyer ripped him to shreds. His lawyer informed him later that he was lucky to have been granted any custody of the children after the debacle in court. Jocelyn had produced doctored photos of him and, supposedly Tessa, in various locations, in various states of undress, with and without the children nearby and once the judge saw them it was game over. Scott had been blindsided by the photos and stumbled his way through cross examination, admitting by a slip of the tongue that, yes, he had been with Tessa at least once during the marriage. The judge awarded Jocelyn the cars, the house, a ridiculously monthly sum in cash and the kids. At least his lawyer was able to get him every other week visitation, despite Jocelyn’s protests. 

He stared at the cheque again. This would help him in so many ways. Just the thought of being able to spend more time with the kids brought tears to his eyes. Tessa knew how important Patrick and Ally were to him. She knew nothing else mattered to him as long as his children were loved and well provided for. He would never be able to repay her for the kindness she had shown him today. He couldn’t wait to tell the kids.

His first stop at the lawyers was productive. He had made the deposit to start an investigation into Jocelyn and Bruce and made a claim for sole custody of Ally and Patrick. His lawyer asked for more photo evidence, if the children had any and informed him that he might need to speak to them on the stand. Scott agreed and promised he would discuss everything with the kids that evening. The lawyer had Scott fill out an application for sole custody. Then he had him file an affidavit which outlined his plans for raising the children, his plans for their future welfare and why he was the parent best suited to raise the children. Scott left the office feeling confident and hopeful for the future for the first time in years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott leaned against the battered mini van, a beaming smile on his face, as he waited for the kids to leave school. Maybe with this new job and hopefully sole custody of the kids, he could buy another truck. He missed his old truck. He’d look way cooler leaning against a truck right now. Scott laughed out loud at that thought and stood up straighter as groups of students started pouring out of the school.

“Dad!” Patrick shouted for joy and ran into Scott’s open, waiting arms. “Why aren’t you at work?”

“Do you want me to be at work?” Scott teased

“No!” Patrick rested his head against Scott’s stomach as he hugged him. “I wish you never had to go back to work again.”

Scott smiled down at his son. Hopefully Patrick and Ally would think this new job was the next best thing to never working again.

“What are you doing here?” Ally flew into her father's arms, not even caring that her little group was standing by watching her. “Are you sick? Why aren’t you at work?”

“I’m just fine, sweetheart!” Scott gave her a bear hug and kissed the top of her head. “I have great news and I thought we could go out to dinner to celebrate!”

Ally and Patrick looked at each other, their eyes dancing excitedly. “The Diner?”

Scott looped his arms around their shoulders and laughed heartily. “How did I know you were going to say that? The Diner it is!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“So we get to live with you now? All the time?” Patrick asked, earnestly.

“Not quite yet” Scott cautioned. “We will have to go to court and the judge will have to decide about the best place for you to live. I hope it’s with me.”

“Of course it’s with you!” Ally scoffed. “We will tell him, won’t we Patch?” 

Scott smiled fondly at her use of the family nickname for Patrick that they had borrowed from his former coach and mentor. 

“My lawyer may want you guys to talk during the trial, just to tell them about life at your moms. How would you feel about that?”

Ally took a big sip from her milkshake and just shook her head. Patrick stared at the table top, his finger tracing letters long ago carved into it.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to, no one will make you.” Scott told them.

“I can’t talk about them if they are there.” Ally looked up and there were tears in her eyes. “Bruce scares me.”

“Mom scares me.” Patrick admitted, quietly. “I don’t like it when she gets mad at us. She yells at us a lot. Talking about her would make her super angry.”

Scott was seething with anger, but he fought to keep it under control and remain calm and supportive for the children. 

“It’s okay kids, no one will make you talk about them. Don’t worry.” He hugged them both in turn. “We’ll just pray this turns out the right way for us.”

“You said you had more good news.” Patricks face was pressed against Scott’s chest and his voice came out muffled.

“I do!” Scott laughed. “I almost forgot! I quit my jobs today!”

Patrick and Ally stared at their father like he had lost his mind. They didn’t know how bad things were, Scott made sure they never knew how much he struggled to provide for them, but they knew he needed those jobs.  
“Dad, are you sure you’re okay?” Ally asked, sounding concerned. 

“I’m more than okay, sweetie. Your Aunt Tessa offered me a job as her personal assistant. I’ll be able to be home a lot more and spend more time with you, and I don’t have to worry about working at BoxMart anymore!”

“Aunt Tessa is going to be your boss?” Patrick eyes lit up. “Cool!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott finally sat down once the kids were in bed and put his feet up, reliving the day in his mind. So much had happened today that it was difficult to process it all. He had got a call when they arrived home from the lawyer telling him to allow the children to go to Jocelyn's for their scheduled week. They would be sending a report to Children’s Services, who would be sure to follow up promptly with Jocelyn to ensure everything was running smoothly there. His lawyer assured him the children would be fine and to be very strict about them calling him immediately if they were concerned about anything. Scott wasn’t too sure he was happy with letting them go back to their mothers, but he had to play the game if he wanted any chance at gaining sole custody. As for the rest of the day, it seemed like a dream. He would long relish the look on Frank’s face when he told him that Tessa liked his work so much she had hired him. The restaurant was actually sad to hear he was quitting, they liked his work ethic and the whole group of employees got along very well. He would genuinely miss the gang there, but he wouldn’t miss the long shifts and crappy tips. Tessa had given him the two weeks to finish his shifts at his other jobs and to spend time with the kids before he started working with her. Tessa had emphasized that point. He would be working with her, not for her. 

“We’ll finally be those business partners we always told people we were.”


	9. Chapter 9

Scott carefully carried a stack of dishes back to the kitchen after clearing his latest table. The group had stayed for over two hours, eaten like kings and queens and left him a measly 10 bucks on a two hundred dollar order. He tucked the money into his front pocket and shrugged. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. A tiny tip was better than no tip at all. 

“Hey Moir!” Jessica, the woman who ran the restaurant, yelled across the kitchen at Scott. “I hear you’re leaving us!” She waited for Scott to set the dishes down and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a huge hug. “Things go all to hell when I go on vacation, every time!”

“Yeah, I got an office job. It’s going to allow me more time with my kids.” Scott admitted with a smile. “I’m gonna miss the gang though.”

“We are going to miss you. You are one of the best damn servers we’ve ever had.” Jessica told him.

“Maybe it’s that competitive spirit.” Scott joked “It never dies!” 

“Well, thanks for giving us the two weeks notice at least. We don’t often get that luxury. You’ll be hard to replace.”

“Ah, you’ll find someone no problem.” Scott assured her. “Guys like me are a dime a dozen.” He gave her a dazzling smile as he backed out of the kitchen to take his next set of orders.

“Don’t be so sure about that, Moir.” Jessica mused as she watched him work the tables, chatting amongst the diners with a relaxed ease. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was busy for a Monday evening and Scott was glad to stop and take a breather for a moment once all his tables were waited on and drinks refilled.

He sat on a bar stool tucked in the corner of the kitchen and sipped some iced tea while keeping his eyes open for his tables. At the moment everyone was happy and he was just waiting for the food to be prepared so he could serve them. Scott started to think about what it would be like to be working with Tessa again. To be near her every day. He wondered if he’d be able to remain professional. He knew Tessa would manage that just fine. 

“Scott!” Lucas, the cook was calling him, startling him out of his reverie. “Your phone is ringing!”

The staff kept their phones in a communal storage area, complete with charge cords, in case of emergency. Jessica didn’t want them to have their phones while they were working, but she realized the importance of having the phones accessible in case of emergency. Scott’s ringtone was Grace Too by The Tragically Hip and all the staff knew it instantly. 

Scott scooped up his phone and swiped his finger on the screen to answer. “Hello?”

“Is this Mr. Scott Moir speaking?”

“Yes, this is him.” Scott raised his eyebrows and shrugged at Lucas, who was mouthing ‘who is it?’ at him.

“Mr. Moir. This is Isabelle Thorton from Child Protective Services. We were alerted to a potential situation at the home of your ex wife, Mrs. Jocelyn Moir.”

Scott felt his heart skip a beat and he steadied himself against the counter.

“Please tell me Ally and Patrick are alright. Please, before you tell me anything else.”

“Your children have been removed from the home and are in the care of Child Protective Services at the moment.” the cold, clinical voice told him.

“Are they okay?” Scott tried to keep his voice down, but he knew he shouted from the reactions of his fellow employees.

“Allison and Patrick are fine, sir, but the situation at the home was deemed dangerous for them.”

Scott let out his breath and slumped onto the counter.

“Is it possible for the children to be picked up at our offices this evening?”

“I don’t know, I’m at work.” Scott ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Give me a minute, please.” He looked around and caught Jessica’s eye. “My kids were taken from their mom’s house by CPS.”

“What are you waiting for?” she asked him. “Go!”

“Are you sure?” 

“Get the hell out of here.” Jessica snatched his order pad out of his apron and pushed at his shoulder. “Go get your babies.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott pulled off his apron and tossed it on the passenger seat. Snapping his seat belt in place, he turned the ignition and put the van in reverse. He had gone about a block when the song started and he needed to pull over.  


I've changed the presets in my truck  
So those old songs don't sneak up  
They still find me and remind me  
Yeah you come back that easy  
Try restaurants I've never been to  
Order new things off the menu  
That I never tried cause you didn't like  
Two drinks in you were by my side  
I've talked to friends  
I've talked to myself  
I've talked to God  
I prayed like hell but I still miss you  
I tried sober I tried drinking  
I've been strong and I've been weak  
And I still miss you  
I've done everything move on like I'm supposed to  
I'd give anything for one more minute with you  
I still miss you  
I still miss you baby  
I never knew til you were gone  
How many pages you were on  
It never ends I keep turning  
And line after line and you are there again  
I don’t know how to let you go  
You are so deep down in my soul  
I feel helpless so hopeless  
Its a door that never closes  
No I don't know how to do this  
I've talked to friends  
I've talked to myself  
I've talked to God  
I prayed like hell but I still miss you  
I tried sober I tried drinking  
I've been strong and I've been weak  
And I still miss you  
I've done everything  
Move on like I'm supposed to  
I'd give anything for one more minute with you  
I still miss you yeah  
I've talked to friends  
I've talked to myself  
I've talked to God  
I prayed like hell but I still miss you  
I tried sober I tried drinking  
I've been strong and I've been weak  
And I still miss you  
I've done everything  
Move on like I'm supposed to  
I'd give anything for one more minute with you  
I still miss you yeah  
I still miss you  
I still miss you, yeah, yeah

 

Swiping tears from his eyes, Scott pulled out his phone, dialed and set it to speaker before pulling out into traffic again.

“Hello?”

Scott uttered a small sob when he heard her voice over the phone. “Tessa!”

“Scott, what’s wrong?”

“The kids were removed from Jocelyn's by CPS tonight.” 

Scott could hear Tessa’s sharp intake of breath.

“Are they okay?”

“I’m on my way there now, they say they are fine, but they must be so scared.”

“Do you want me to meet you?”

“Maybe? No, I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of gaining sole custody. Do you mind meeting us at the apartment?”

“I’ll be there. I’ll stop and get all the fixings for ice cream sundaes.”

Scott had to laugh. Of course, Tessa would think the solution for their fears would be ice cream and chocolate sauce. “They’ll love that T. I’ll call when we are leaving the office, okay?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m Scott Moir, I’m here for my children.”

Scott walked up to the counter in the main hallway and waited expectantly for the secretary to acknowledge him.

“Who was the caseworker that called you?” she asked, her voice bored and unconcerned.

“Isabelle Thorton.” Scott was getting impatient, he couldn’t keep still as he waited for her to look up the case files.

“I can page Isabelle and see if she’s here.” 

“She just called me and asked me to pick up the kids here!” Scott exploded, all patience gone.

“Sir, we need you to remain calm.”

Scott paced the office as the secretary paged Isabelle, finally after what seemed like forever, a woman appeared through the doors to the side of the desk.

“Mr. Moir?”

Scott stood and held his hand out. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Can we talk for a few moments before we bring the children out?” At the look on his face, Isabelle gently touched his shoulder. “Allison and Patrick are doing fine. They are with a counselor and watching TV right now.”

Scott let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding and nodded his head.

“We were alerted by your lawyer that there was a possible situation at your ex wife's house regarding the children. In these instances, we don’t like to announce when we are appearing, but rather just to show up at the door.”

Isabelle opened a file folder that she had laid on the table between them. “On our arrival, we were greeted by a man who claimed to be visiting a friend. He proceeded to call out for someone named Bruce.”

Scott’s eyebrows shot up. “A man named Bruce is the guy that’s been staying with Jocelyn and the kids.”

“Apparently, Jocelyn was out for the evening and left Allison and Patrick with Bruce and some friends. When we entered the house, the children were in the back room attempting to watch television while the “friends” were sitting on the sofas in the next room making unsightly comments about your daughter. Your son was comforting his sister and drying her tears. This prompted comments directed toward your son.”

Scott’s hands folded into fists and he could feel his jaw clenching and unclenching as he processed the information. “What were those beasts calling her?”

“We overheard Bruce asking her to remove her sweatshirt and show off her, quote, hot body. Several of the men were catcalling her. Your son was called several derogatory terms by Bruce as well. We immediately took control of the situation and had your children removed from the house and into our protective custody.”

“What happens next?”

“You will have sole custody of the children until we are able to serve papers on Jocelyn and a court date is set. We were made aware of Bruce’s arrest record and papers are prepared to serve him as well.”

“The kids get to stay with me? Just me?” 

“Until the case comes under review by the courts. I don’t usually comment on ongoing cases, but I think you have a fairly strong case for sole custody in this instance.”

“I don’t believe this.” Scott tried to fight back the tears. Finally, things were looking up for him and his family.

“Bear in mind, we will be monitoring their situation at your home as well, during all this. The children are not to be left alone and, if you are not available, only left with family members that we have met and approved.”

“I understand.” Scott nodded. “Can I see them now?”

“Yes.” Isabelle smiled and stood to open the door. “You can take your children home now.”

“Daddy!” Patrick ran to Scott and slammed into him with enough force to rock him back into the wall. Ally came out of the room more slowly, her eyes lit up to see her father there and she hugged him so tight Scott could barely breathe. It pained him to see his daughter looking so distraught. Ally’s face was red and splotchy, she had clearly been crying for quite some time, the sadness in her eyes quite evident.

“I’m so sorry.” Scott pulled them close and bent down to bury his face in Ally’s hair. “I’m so, so sorry.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thanks for coming over T.” Scott gathered dishes from the cupboard for the ice cream sundaes as Tessa pulled the ingredients from her pink reusable shopping bags. “I don’t know what I would have…” He stopped and took a deep breath. “I’m all keyed up. I want to...I need to…”

“Come here.” Tessa walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder as she pulled her body as close to him as she could. Scott, realizing what she was doing, relaxed into her embrace and let his breathing and heartbeat slow to match hers. 

“Better?” Tessa held him for a beat longer before she let go and held him at arm's length.

“I wasn’t sure that would still work.” Scott whispered. 

“Me either.” Tessa giggled. “I’m glad it did.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They gathered around the table to create their sundaes, making a grand mess with all the toppings Tessa had selected, before settling on the sofa to watch a movie that Tessa had picked up on her way over. The children snuggled on either side of their father, but as the movie played on, Ally moved her hand to hold Tessa’s across Scott’s lap and Patrick let himself slump against her, his head resting on her shoulder. Tessa felt tears pricking behind her eyelids. She never thought she wanted children, but the time she spent with Scott and his children made her question her decision every day. After all they had been through they accepted her naturally and without question, seeming to sense that she was on their side and would keep them safe and protected from harm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, I should go.” Tessa stretched and stood up from the sofa, laughing as gummy bears tumbled from her lap. “I’m glad you liked the movie.”

“Will you stay with us?” Ally asked, standing beside Tessa and grasping her hand. “Stay with me?”

“Well I…” Tessa looked to Scott, but he was picking up a sleeping Patrick and getting ready to carry him to his room. 

“Please?” 

Tessa saw the tears starting to fall from Ally’s eyes and she found herself nodding her head in agreement.

Ally hugged her around the waist and happily led her up the stairs to her bedroom. They were met by Patrick and Scott leaving Patrick’s room.

“Patch wants us all to sleep together tonight. He got a little upset at the thought of being in his room alone.” Scott informed them.

“Ally wants me to stay.” Tessa said, apologetically. “I told her yes.”

“Oh.” Scott stared at her, his face slowly reddening.

“Dad has a big bed.” Patrick took Tessa’s hand and pulled her into Scott’s room. “You lay there. Dad will lay there. Ally and I will lay in the middle.” He nodded and yawned loudly, satisfied that he had solved the problem of Tessa sleeping over. 

“You can borrow one of my T-shirts and a pair of pajama pants.” Scott offered, moving closer to her to whisper apologies in her ear.

“The kids want comfort tonight, I understand.” Tessa told him. “They’ve had an emotional day.”

“They feel safe with you.” Scott told her has he handed her a white t-shirt and plaid pj pants. “That’s huge for them.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott woke in the morning to find Ally’s bare feet under his chin, Patrick wrapped around his leg and Tessa sleeping in his arms. He didn’t want to move and disturb anyone, but he also didn’t want Tessa upset and thinking he had taken advantage of her. Tessa stirred and mumbled in her sleep and Scott strained to make out what she was saying. Without letting go of her, he adjusted his arms and she stirred again.

“Love....” she mumbled. “...him...love…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Lyrics to I Still Miss You by Keith Anderson.


	10. Chapter 10

“So, how’s it been working for Tess?”

Charlie eased out of his jacket, placing it on the back of his chair before sitting across from his younger brother.

“I’m working with her, not for her.” Scott corrected, with a grin.

“So that business partners line is finally true, huh?”

Scott felt his his face redden and he grimaced at Charlie. “In some way or another we were always business partners when we skated.”

“Okay.” Charlie chuckled “But really, how are you liking it?”

The waitress interrupted them with menus and took their drink orders before Scott could answer.

“I’m really enjoying it. I’m learning a lot about being a part of a business that has a lot of dealings with the public. It’s so different from just being pushed out in front of a group and talking about your life. Tessa’s company has products to promote so we need to get her out in front of the groups that will impact her sales the most. I need to find the markets that will most benefit from what she is offering and convince them they need her products in their stores.”

Charlie nodded, impressed. His little brother was sounding professional and truly involved in a project for the first time in a long time. Probably the first time since his marriage to Jocelyn. It was long overdue and he was proud of Scott for finally taking charge of his life.

“I imagine the kids are liking the fact that you are home more?”

“Never mind the kids! I’m happy I’m home more for them. I missed so much of the their lives and them growing up when I was working two jobs and out of the house all the time. I’m so happy I get to spend more time with them now.”

The waitress returned and Charlie ordered his dinner. The he studied Scott as he placed his order with the petite waitress. The light was back in his eyes, his hair was getting longer, but was neat and tidy and his skin was clear and glowing. Scott always had his tells when he was going through tough times and they had all disappeared. Charlie knew the whole family was hoping that this new job with Tessa would revive Scott’s spirits and that nothing would happen between the two of them to jeopardize it. They all knew the complicated personal relationship Scott and Tessa had once had. Maybe now they were older, they could figure out how to work with each other.

“When is your custody hearing again?” Charlie asked.

“Next month.” Scott grabbed a wedge of garlic bread from the plate of appetizers between them. “I don’t know why I have to wait so long. Jocelyn was letting them stay with a known sex offender that prayed on children. I don’t understand.”

“Yeah, that is messed up.” Charlie admitted. “The case should be cut and dried.”

“Well, I think the judge will grant her some custody, probably with supervision. The kids don’t want to see her ever again, but she is their mother.”

Charlie couldn’t believe how responsible Scott was sounding right now. 

“Oh, I meant to ask. How did you take the news of Jocelyn selling the house?”

“What?”

“I drove by the other day and saw the For Sale sign on the lawn.”

Scott stood and angrily slapped his palms on the table as his chair flew backwards. “What the hell?” he growled.

“Sit down.” Charlie urged. “We’re going to get kicked out of here.”

“How could she? Without asking me? How dare she?” 

Fellow diners started looking their way as Scott’s voice rose to a louder pitch.

“Scott, sit the hell back down!” Charlie hissed. “She won the house in the divorce settlement, so it is her house to do with what she pleases.”

Scott righted his chair and sat back down. “I worked for years on that house, C.” Scott sputtered. “We worked on that house together. Ally was born in that house.”

“I know, I know.” Charlie reached for Scott’s hand, currently balled into a fist on the the table. “Breathe, little brother.”

Scott breathed slowly in and out, internally counting to 10.

“Maybe you could buy it back from her?” Charlie offered.

“I don’t have enough saved up. I’ve only had the new job for two weeks. I can’t really start saving until I don’t have to pay Jocelyn a ridiculous amount of money each month.”

“I don’t know what to say, Scott. Life sucks sometimes.”

Scott picked up his bottle of beer and chugged it down in one long pull. “My life seems to have a way of sucking all the time.” He slammed the bottle down and gestured to the waitress. “I’m gonna need two more of these, if you don’t mind.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tessa sat at her desk watching Scott as he peered at his computer screen. She tried to hide her smile as he cursed loudly, pulling his glasses off and throwing them on his desk. She knew he was having some issues getting used to the office life, but the fact of the matter was, he was getting used to it and he was very good at it. He had already snagged her a prime weekend spot at Hudson's Bay, a high level chain that Tessa had never thought possible for her line of athletic wear. She had to admit she liked having him around again, she had missed the non stop run of bad jokes and off key singing. Not to mention the constant soft touches - his hand on her back, a gentle shoulder rub or brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. Yes, it was nice to feel those again too. 

She thought back to the evening she had recently spent with Scott and the kids and how calming it had been. She’d been with guys who had kids and the pressure had been unbelievable. Whether it was her feeling pressured to act like the mom and look after the kids or the kids feeling pressured to like and accept her. It was never comfortable. But Ally and Patrick just accepted her into their fold easily and without question. And Scott had remained a perfect gentlemen. That morning had been so...normal...making lunches for the kids, joking with Scott, getting the kids ready for school. Just a regular family morning. After Scott had left her, she never thought she wanted a family. She managed just fine on her own and she liked having no one to answer to but herself. But that family morning had her feeling things that she hadn’t felt in a long while and made her question everything she ever thought she wanted.

Scott cursed again, breaking her out of her reverie. Something was up with him she suspected. He’d been out of sorts all day and unusually angry, even for someone with a hair trigger temper like his.

“Everything all right?” she called out, as she pretended to type away..

“No!” Scott groused. “Nothing is working right today, this damn computer keeps freezing, none of my emails are going through, no one will pick up the damn phone…”

He stopped short when he felt Tessa’s warm hands on his shoulders, gently massaging him.

“You’ve been miserable all morning. Shut it down, I’m taking you to lunch.”

“It’s fine T, it’s really nothing here, nothing about the job. I’ll keep quiet.”

“Nope.” Tessa reached around him and shut down the computer. “We’re going out to lunch. I’m starving.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tessa deliberately directed Scott to drive to The Squire Pub and Grill, which had always been one of his favourite restaurants. Once settled at a table and orders taken - a Cobb salad for Tess and Scott’s perennial favourite, the house club sandwich - Tessa picked up her diet soda and took a sip. “Okay Scott, what’s going on with you?”

“It’s nothing T, really.” Scott shook his head and reached for the dessert menu, distressing the corners with his fingernails.

“Out with it. I’ve known you long enough to know that something is going on.” She persisted. “It’s better to tell someone than to hold it in, you know. It relieves some of the stress.”

“Really?”

“So they say.” Tessa nodded.

Scott ran his fingers through his hair and sighed deeply. “Jocelyn put the house up for sale.”

“What!” Tessa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “How can she do that?”

“She won the house in the divorce. She can do what she wants with it.”

“But all the time you and Charlie spent on fixing it up!” Tessa reached for his fidgeting hands. “Wasn’t Ally born there?”

Scott nodded in reply. “She seems determined to hurt me in whatever way she can.”

“How can she sell the place if she is going to fight for custody? She needs a home for the children.”

“I don’t know.” 

“This really sucks.” Tessa squeezed Scott’s hands. “I’m so sorry Scott. You’ve had enough crappy things happen to you, you definitely don’t deserve this.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tessa tossed and turned in her sleep. She had looked up the real estate listing for Scott’s house as soon as she got home from the office. It was difficult looking at the photos of the house knowing that he had probably intended it to be their house eventually - before Jocelyn entered the picture. Scott had renovated it almost from the ground up with his own two hands and Jocelyn was just getting rid of it like garbage. She couldn’t see any touches of Scott’s personality in the house at all, which was not surprising considering he had been out of the house for roughly five years. Judging by the photos of the tacky decor, Jocelyn had done this all herself. The kids rooms looked okay. Ally’s room was a lavender shade with muted pink and white curtains. She had the standard latest boy band posters on her wall and Tessa spied a photo of her and her dad on the dresser. Patricks room was blue and white, the bed covered with a Toronto Maple Leafs spread and various hockey posters on the walls. He also had a photo of him and Ally with Scott on his dresser. She could see nothing of the kids with their mother. All the hard work Scott had put into the house was self evident, as she had seen it before he started the renovations. It seemed a shame for someone else to enjoy the fruits of his labor. 

There had to be a way to get the house back into Scott’s hands. He would need a house for the kids anyway, once he could afford to get rid of the apartment. A house would look much better to the courts thinking of granting him sole custody. Tessa sat up and pushed her covers back. Grabbing her phone, she opened up the calculator and made a few equations, then opened the memo pad and jotted some notes. Yes, it would be do-able. She knew Scott would have something to say about what she was going to do, but in the end, she also knew he would be grateful for it.


	11. Chapter 11

“I’m glad you finally decided to return my calls, Jocelyn.”

Scott had been busy trying to secure another deal for Tessa’s Verve by Virtue line when his cell phone had gone off, seeing that it was Jocelyn calling, Scott put the store buyer on a momentary hold to answer.

“I really don’t have much to say to you, Scott. But I do have some news.”

“Listen.” Scott interrupted. “I’m right in the middle of something here at work and I need to get back to it. Can I call you back as soon as I am done?”

He could hear Jocelyn speaking to someone, her voice was muffled, but he thought he could hear Bruce laughing in the background.

“You got Tessa pinned to the desk there?” Jocelyn cackled. 

“Jocelyn.” Scott fumed. “I am working and I have an important client on the line. I don’t have time for this.”

“Oh, does Tessa want to come? Don’t keep her waiting Scott. You best carry on there, champ. Call me back when you’re done with your “business” call.”

The phone went quiet with a click and Scott pounded his fists on the desk, cursing loudly before picking up on the call on hold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What did you have to tell me Jocelyn?” 

“I hope Tessa got off.” Jocelyn laughed. “Remember when we did it on my dad’s desk? Maybe that’s when Ally was conceived.”

“Enough Jocelyn.” Scott kneaded his temple, the stress of talking to his ex wife enough for him to feel the makings of a massive headache.

“God Scott. You need to relax. Kids keeping you away from Miss Tessa?” Jocelyn snorted. “Anyway, you called me.”

“I just wanted to let you know that the kids are doing fine. They miss you. I thought you might like to know.” Scott sighed. “Now what news did you have for me?”

Jocelyn snorted. “Of course they’re fine, they’re with their precious father. I doubt very much that they miss me. You turned those kids against me Scott and you will pay.”

“I’ve been paying for years.” Scott slipped in, under his breath.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing. What news did you have to tell me?”

“Oh yes. I sold the house yesterday.”

Scott felt his heart drop. He had been hoping that the house wouldn’t sell and he might have a chance to convince Jocelyn to sell it back to him. That house was where he always saw himself raising his family and now it was gone.

“Why did you do that? You know how much the house meant to me and the kids.”

“I’m sure you know I really don’t care about your feelings. I needed the money since I’m not getting anything from you right now.” Jocelyn spit out. 

“Who bought it?” Scott wiped a stray tear away angrily. The news of the house being sold made him more emotional than he thought it would. 

“They wanted to be anonymous.” Jocelyn told him. “The realtor said something about them flipping it or knocking it down, I can't remember. I'm just glad it's gone.”

“They want to raze it?” Scott couldn’t believe it. He knew the house was on a great plot of land, but he’d worked his ass off to make the house a beautiful family home. What else would someone build out there? “What about the kids? Where are you planning on moving? You need a place for them to stay when they're with you.” 

“I haven’t decided yet. Bruce and I wanted to travel but now he has a court hearing, thanks to you.”

Scott exploded. “Are you really telling me right now that a goddamn pedophile is more important to you than your own children?”

“Scott, listen carefully.” Jocelyn’s voice was patient, like she was trying to explain something to a child. “I never wanted kids. You did. You insisted on getting married, you insisted I keep Ally. I thought if we had her that we would be happy together. I tried to love you but you never loved me. You loved those kids way more than you ever loved me.”

“Jocelyn. I wanted to love you. I wanted us to be a family.” Scott explained.

“You didn’t try very hard.” Jocelyn sniffed. “Even when Ally was born, the minute she came out you were off with her and I was laying there with everything hanging out. You wouldn’t have those kids if it wasn’t for me.”

“And I appreciate that, I truly do. I love you for giving me my children. I don’t know what I would do without Ally and Patrick, they are my whole world.”

“Scott, we were wrong from the start. We never should have had children, we never should have gotten married. We have nothing in common and are nothing alike. You were just a quick and easy lay and we got in over our heads.” she stated calmly. “Then when my friends found out who I was seeing, you were like a trophy, a shiny toy to show off. Boy did that wear off quick.”

Scott tried to process what she was saying to him. He’d been used and tossed away like garbage. “You seemed happy at the time?”

Jocelyn sighed heavily. “I’m not gonna fight you for the kids, I never wanted them. I wanted the money, the fame of being Mrs. Moir, the one who took you away from Tessa. That’s all I ever wanted.”

Scott dropped into his chair like Jocelyn had reached through the phone and punched him.

“You can have the kids. I’ll show up at the hearing and tell the judge that. They probably don’t even want to see me. Those ungrateful brats don’t appreciate anything I do for them.”

“You’re their mother.” he replied weakly. “They love you.”

“Sure.” Jocelyn laughed. “Anyway. I need to go. Enjoy the kids. And Miss Tessa.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t believe she said that.”

Scott was relaying the conversation he’d had with Jocelyn to Tessa, who sat at her desk having lunch, taking a small bite of her turkey burger, she looked over to him, her eyes sympathetic. “How could a mother not want her children?”

“She was never really very motherly.” Scott admitted. “Ally was always more of something, kind of like a little doll, to show off. She loved dressing her up and taking her out.”

“What about Patrick?” Tessa dabbed a bit of mayo off her lip. She had to admit she had a soft spot for Scott’s youngest. From the few times she had seen him, he reminded her so much of Scott when he was the same age - rambunctious and fun loving, but quiet, thoughtful and caring too.

“I think Patrick is too much like me for her liking.” he answered, reflecting Tessa’s thoughts. “She never did much with him.” Scott slammed his hand on his desk suddenly and Tessa let out a little shout. “Why didn’t I see what she was like? How could I be so stupid?” 

“You weren’t stupid, Scott.”

“I slept with her and ruined our relationship.” Scott held up his hand and ticked the points off with his fingers. “I got her pregnant. I married her. I let her run my life. I let her spend my money. She ruined my life, T.”

Tessa set her burger down on her napkin. “Did you ever think that she did any of this on purpose? You said she told you she wanted the fame of being Mrs. Moir. You slept with her, but you were always careful, even when you were a little tipsy.”

“Or worse.” Scott admitted, hanging his head low.

“Or worse.” Tessa agreed. “But point is, you were always careful. How do you know she didn’t do something? Maybe she told you she was putting a condom on you and she didn’t, or maybe she slipped it off just before she...”

“I think I would have noticed that.” Scott huffed.

“Not if you were really drunk - or into it.” Tessa giggled. “Remember, I know what you’re like in the throes of passion, kiddo.”

Blushing, Scott turned away from Tessa to stare at the wall. He really didn’t want to be reminded of sharing those throes of passion with Tessa. He was a damn fool to have ruined what they had and he shouldn’t be allowed to remember sharing those times with her.

“Anyway.” she continued. “If you were tricked, you weren’t stupid. And as much as it hurt at the time, you did do the right thing for your daughter.”

“I shouldn’t have slept with her in the first place.”

“No.” Tessa squirmed slightly in her seat, starting to feel uncomfortable about digging up the past. “No, you shouldn’t have.”

“Tessa, nothing I ever say or do could make up for what I did to you.” 

“Scott, let’s not....” Tessa began to protest.

“No.” Scott insisted. “I never apologized properly and I just want you to know that I am so incredibly sorry. I will never forgive myself for hurting you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I never liked her.” Alma fumed. “She trapped you by getting pregnant.”

“I could have prevented that, momma. That was just as much my fault as it was hers.” Scott admitted.

“I’m proud that you did the right thing by marrying her and being there for Ally, But…”

“Are you sure she’s going to surrender custody of the children?” Joe interrupted as he looked over his newspaper at mother and son sitting at the kitchen table. “I don’t trust her.”

“She said she didn’t want them, but she could have just been seeing how I’d react.” Scott mused. “I wish I knew what was going through her mind.”

“Just be careful.” Joe warned. “She could be keeping track of everything you say and do, just waiting to attack you with it.”

“I know. I’ll be careful dad. I don’t want anything to jeopardize my chance of getting sole custody.”

“I can’t believe she sold your beautiful house.” Alma sighed. “All that hard work.”

“Do you know who bought it?” Joe asked. “Anyone we know, a local?”

“The buyer wanted to remain anonymous.” Scott told them. “They might want to raze the house.”

“What!” Alma cried. “Why would they knock down a perfectly good house?”

“Who knows?” Scott shrugged. “I’m going to try and find out the closing date and see if I can talk to the new owner.”

“How is work?” Alma smiled, desperate to bring the conversation back to something positive.

“I love it.” Scott beamed, delighted to have something nicer to talk about. “I’m learning so much. I’ve gotten the business some really good placements and sales are booming.”

“I’m so glad.” Alma hugged him around the shoulders. “You seem so much happier since you’ve been working with Tessa.”

“I just love being able to leave work and know I can spend the rest of the night with the kids, instead of running of to another job.” Scott stood, as he looked at his watch. “Speaking of the kids, I have to go pick them up from school.” He hugged his mom and dad in turn. “We’re going to the movies after homework and dinner.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So what are we going to see?” 

Scott perused the posters in the theater lobby, already knowing that Patrick would want to see an action film and Ally would want the latest Disney cartoon or the movie with the hunk of the month starring in it. He listened to them bicker over choices with a smile on his face, it was funny how even a little argument between the kids could give him happiness. Just spending more time with them and observing all the little sibling things they did that he had missed out on over the years brought him great joy now.

“I want to see Blood and Guts 2” Patrick said loudly.

“And I want to see the live action Tangled.” Ally crossed her arms over her chest.

Scott laughed. A Disney movie and hunk of the month, good move Ally. He studied the poster for Blood and Guts 2 and noticed the R rating in the corner. “Sorry buddy boy, it’s rated R. I think it might be a bit too much for you.”

“Aww Dad.” Patrick exclaimed. “I’m not a baby!”

“Of course you aren’t, but I think you should be a little older to watch this one.”

Patrick stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. “Mom would let me.”

“Patrick Joseph Moir!” Ally hissed. “How could you? You need to listen to Dad.”

“Son.” Scott breathed in deeply, not wanting to put their mother down in front of the kids. “Your mom might have let you see it not realizing that it was inappropriate for your age. She probably would just want to make you happy and would let you see it.” Seeing Patrick open his mouth to protest, Scott continued. “That doesn’t mean she would be right. Neither of us should do things just to make you guys happy. That’s not good parenting. We need to do what’s right for you and make good choices.”

“I don’t wanna see Tangled.” Patrick started looking at the posters again, trying to find something that Ally might agree to.

“Well, hi there Moir family!”

Scott and Ally looked up to see Tessa walking towards them from the mall entrance.

“Tess! What brings you here?” 

Ally and Patrick ran over to give Tessa hugs. “Aunt Tessa, it’s so nice to see you!”

“I thought I’d take in a movie tonight, any suggestions?” Tessa smiled at the kids as they started telling her about their movie choices.

“Oh, I think that blood one is a bit too much.” Tessa offered, patting Patrick’s shoulder. “It would give me nightmares.” 

“I want to see live action Tangled. But Patch doesn’t.” 

“Oh, the guy playing Eugene is pretty hot.” Tessa nodded. “I think that’s the one I want to see too.”

Patrick threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine! But I get to sit with Aunt Tessa!”

Scott and Tessa exchanged amused glances over the kids heads. “Let’s get some popcorn!”

“And Junior Mints!” Tessa smiled. “Or Milk Duds!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tessa looked up from her computer where she was trying to configure new designs for a possible new swimwear line. Pushing away from her desk, she massaged her temples firmly. 

“Scott do you mind having a look at this? Maybe you can figure out why I can’t get this to work.”

Scott walked over from his workstation to stand behind Tessa and study her computer screen.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to tell you, the kids enjoyed our accidental movie night last week.”

“Acci...oh, yeah, that was fun.” Tessa smiled up at Scott. “That boy of yours has definitely inherited the Moir charm gene.”

Scott grinned. “He really likes you, Ally too, they both think the world of you.”

“They are sweet.” Tessa gestured to the screen. “So, I’m trying to get this to move here so I can see the design, but it doesn’t want to work.”

Scott leaned over her shoulder to toggle the mouse. “I think maybe you need to…” Tessa shifted in her seat and suddenly Scott’s nose was tickling the rim of her ear. “Um, I mean.” Scott cleared his throat. “Maybe if you do this…” He was trying desperately to remain professional, but the familiar scent of her, the closeness to him was not helping his cause.

“That worked! What did you do?” Tessa leaned back and Scott inhaled deeply. She was driving him crazy.

“I just did...this…” he lowered his head, burying his face in the hollow between her neck and shoulder, fighting the urge to kiss her.

Tessa moaned lowly and let her head fall back.

“Tess...I..” Scott angled his head and had pretty much decided to give in to his urges and the signs she was giving him and just kiss her already when Tessa’s phone rang. Abruptly, he backed away from her chair, walking in a semi daze back to his station. He chastised himself as he listened to her chatter to her mother about work. He had stepped over the line, even if she did seem like she was into it. He had to remain professional at work and remember that they really were only business partners now. He heard Tessa say goodbye, but he forced himself to stare at his computer screen. He didn’t think he could look at her right now and he didn’t trust himself to stand up and not have his body betray him.

“Scott, I…” Tessa began. “Um...thanks? For fixing the problem.”

“Anytime, T. I’m happy to help.” Scott assured her.

“I think maybe we…”

“I’m sorry T. I went too far.” Scott apologized. “I’ll control myself.”

“I was going to say.” Tessa giggled. “Maybe we need to talk.”

“Talk?” Scott looked at her. She wanted to talk. This could be bad. He hoped she hadn’t changed her mind. He needed this job.

“Yeah.” she nibbled absentmindedly on a fingernail. “About us.”

Scott gulped. “I’m sorry?”

“I think those feelings are still there, and we need to talk about them.” 

“Um...dinner?” Scott was baffled. Tessa in the driver's seat of a relationship conversation was a new twist on things. “I have the kids but when they go to bed…”

“Friday?” Tessa arched an eyebrow at him, her eyes dancing with amusement. 

“Friday.” he nodded with a silly grin on his face, even as he wondered what sort of meal he could prepare and what exactly they would talk about, if they even talked. He typed a few lines into the program he was working on then looked over to Tessa with a wide smile. “Did we...did you...do we have a date on Friday?"


	12. Chapter 12

Scott slowly drove up the road to the house, pulling to a stop in front and studied the exterior carefully, knowing it might be the last time he would see it. Jocelyn’s realtor had been kind enough, after some mild badgering, to tell him that the new owner would be at the house today, that they had taken possession the day before. He’d hoped to be able to get a chance to walk through the house, maybe take some pictures before they tore it down. He was having a hard time processing the fact that the house had actually sold, that he or the kids would never be able to enter it again. In his mind, being able to walk through it one last time might help him say goodbye to it. As he backed up and pulled into the lane he was surprised to see a familiar car already parked close to the side door. Shutting the van door quietly, Scott walked slowly to the house, hoping against hope that the car in the lane didn’t belong to who he thought it did.

Looking through the screen door, Scott could see Tessa standing in the kitchen, taking careful measurements of the empty space once occupied by the stove, jotting down numbers in a notebook as she hummed under her breath.

Knowing just the right way to push the door open so it didn’t squeak, Scott entered the house silently. “Tess?” Scott asked warily. “What are you doing here?”

“What?” Tessa jumped. “Oh...Scott...I…” What was he doing here? Tessa knew he would make an appearance at some point, that he’d want to say goodbye to the house, but she wasn’t expecting him to show up at the house while she was here. She had wanted to get some measurements to purchase new appliances for Scott and the kids as well as some photos of the home that she planned to enlarge and frame.

“I asked what you’re doing here.” Scott crossed his arms and stood across from her, challenging her to come up with an answer that would make the nagging feeling that his former partner had bought his house go away.

“Scott...I…” Tessa stumbled over her answer, wanting to tell him the truth but hesitating knowing he would fly off the handle before she had a chance to explain. “Damn it. You weren’t supposed to be here. I bought the house from Jocelyn. She doesn’t know it was me.”

“You.” He stared at her incredulously. “You bought my house.”

“Let me explain.” Tessa held her hands up, ashamed that it looked like a defensive maneuver. “Please.”

“I can’t believe you had the goddamn nerve to buy my house and then act all sympathetic about it at work. ‘Oh Scott how could she do something like that to you’.” he mimicked.

“If you would just let me explain.”

“Explain what?” Scott exploded. “You buy my house from my goddamn ex wife and you’re planning to knock it to the ground! What the hell is left to explain?”

Tessa took a step back. “Scott!”

“Why knock it down?” he ranted on. “You can make offices out of it the way it is. It’s a solid house.”

“I’m not knocking it down.” She protested, but he didn’t even hear her.

“You know how hard I worked on this house, you know how much it means to me.” Scott pounded his fists on the counter.

“Four years! I spent four years fixing this heap up so that it became this!” he gestured around the room. “You remember what it looked like, don’t you?”

_“Can I look now?”_

_“Just wait.” Scott kept his hands over her eyes until he had her positioned just right. “Okay, now!”_

_He lifted his hand and watched her face anxiously for her reaction._

_“Oh, Scott. You bought this?” Tessa looked around at the haggard house and weed filled lawn in dismay._

_“You don’t like it?”_

_“It needs a lot of work, Scott. It looks really rundown.”_

_“I know!” he answered, excitedly. “Charlie and I are going to fix it up and make it a showplace. It’s my project to keep me focused now that we’re done competing.”_

_She smiled at him, proud that he had a vision for this heap and a plan for dealing with the post Olympic crash they both knew was coming. “You and Charlie will turn this into a grand house.”_

“I built these cabinets. That door? I found it in a junkyard, sanded it down, stained it and graded it to fit. I refinished those cupboards.” 

He stomped around the kitchen pointing out the updates he had made. “Do you remember what this kitchen used to look like?”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs to the master bedroom. “See this room? Ally was born in this room! My daughter, my first child, was born right here.”

“I know you have a lot of memories here.” Tessa reminded him quietly. “We have a lot of memories here too.”

Scott stared at her, his mind racing back to the first time he brought Tessa here, so proud of his new purchase and his plans for the future. The time she held him while he cried because his girlfriend had left him. The time she found him passed out on the floor surrounded by empty bottles and stayed with him to make sure he didn’t kill himself. The time they cried themselves to sleep in front of the TV after some sappy movie. The time they made love on those new kitchen counters. 

“How dare you?” he glared at her with tears streaming down his face. “You of all people.”

He stormed down the stairs and out the door. Tessa jumped as the door slammed loudly behind him. She had known he would react badly to the news of the purchase. Scott got angry first and accepted explanations later. Much later. Tessa sighed as she descended the stairs to continue her measurements. She would give him some time while she decided how she wanted to proceed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Scott?”

He was right where she knew he would be. There was a stand of trees beyond the shed that he had created a small but beautiful tranquility garden in. It boasted a fire pit, a waterfall that led to a pond and fairy lights draped in the trees. A matching set of swings stood on either side - bare now - but once decorated with throw pillows and cushions. It was a space that no one would have expected from Scott, except her. It was private and away from everything and he could just sit, relax and reflect. It had taken her breath away when he first showed it off to her. Scott sat on the one swing, slowly moving back and forth, his heels dragging in the dirt. The look on his face broke her heart. She hated seeing him unhappy and she hated being the reason for that unhappiness. Hopefully, what she was about to do would ease his heartache.

He looked up at her approach. “Can’t you just leave me alone? Let me enjoy my last minutes here in peace?” he snarled. “I’ll never get to enjoy this again thanks to you.”

Tessa lifted his hand from the swing and dropped the keys into his palm.

“I bought it for you. All three of you.”

She turned on her heel and walked quickly back to the house, tears falling freely down her cheeks, leaving Scott frozen on the swing, staring after her in confusion and amazement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Here.”

Tessa looked up from her notebook when she heard the rattle of keys and then the scrape of them being pushed across the desk.

“I can’t accept them. You bought the house it’s yours.”

She listened to his footsteps tread heavily over to his desk, and his soft grunt as he leaned over to pull some files from his lower drawer. Her hand hovered over the keys, before she picked them up and tucked them in her purse. She stood and walked over to the coffee maker, finding one of the largest mugs she could, she prepared his coffee, just the way he liked it - black, with just a splash of cream. She placed it on his desk and stood back, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

“Thanks.” He kept his head buried in his work, not daring to glance at her.

“I thought you could use this, maybe your first one wore off?”

“I haven’t had one yet.” he confessed. “Too much on my mind.”

“Scott.” Tessa reached out and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. “Look at me.”

He kept his head down for a few moments, then swivelled his chair to face her.

“Tess, I was up all night thinking about what you did.” he explained. “It was an incredibly sweet gesture, but I just can’t accept the house.”

“Why not? You and the kids need a place to live.” She slid his coffee mug over and sat gingerly on the corner of the desk. 

“We have a place to live.”

“Scott.” 

“I know it’s small and nothing special, but we’ve managed there for this long, we can make do with it.”

Tessa gave him a look. “You know how much better living in a proper house would look to the courts when it comes to the custody hearing.”

“Yeah.” he scoffed. “I bet they’ll love it when I tell them that my ex girlfriend slash skating partner slash boss bought it from my ex wife as a gift because I can’t afford it.”

“They don’t need to know how you came about owning the house, just that you do.”

“You’ve done enough for me just by giving me this job. I can’t accept anymore handouts.”

“Goddamnit Scott! You are such a stubborn asshole.” Tessa fumed “It’s not a handout! I felt horrible about you losing the house and someone else owning it. You worked hard on that house and we both have a lot of memories there. I didn’t want them to be lost.” 

Scott sniffed slightly as he felt tears pricking behind his eyelids. “You’ve already done so much for me that I don’t deserve, T. I can’t possibly accept a house on top of everything else.”

“Then don’t consider it a gift.” She snapped her fingers as a thought came to her. “How much do you pay in rent at the apartment each month?” 

“$1500 and utilities. It’s a lot, but I’ve managed it.”

“Then we’ll set up an account and you will deposit the same amount in there each month after you move. I’ll put that money toward the mortgage. How does that sound?”

“That sounds…” He stood and pulled her to her feet before enveloping her in a hug. “Why are you so good to me after all the shitty things I’ve done to you?”

“I guess I’m just stupid like that.” she replied, her voice muffled with her face pressed into his shoulder.

“No, never.” Scott kissed the top of her head. “You are one of the smartest women I know.”

He squeezed her gently before releasing her, smiling shyly as he stepped back. “I’m sorry I blew up at you yesterday. I still need to learn to think and listen before I react.”

“I forgive you.” She walked back to her desk and returned to his side with her purse. Dropping the keys in his hand once more, she gave him a wink. “Hold on to them this time will you?”

“Absolutely.” He smiled broadly at her. “We good?”

“I hope so.” She replied, settling back at her computer. “I’m looking forward to dinner on Friday!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay kids, you need to help me get this place clean, Aunt Tessa is coming for a da...for dinner!” 

_Nice catch, Moir._ Scott thought to himself. He didn’t want to think of tonight as a date. After all, the kids would be there and there would be no fooling around in front of them, no matter how much he might want to. But Tessa had seemed pretty interested in talking about the two of them so who knew what tonight would bring?

“Aunt Tessa?” Patrick peeked his head around the hall corner. “She’s coming for dinner?”

Scott laughed as he dumped the groceries on the counter and sorted out what needed to be put away and what he needed for their meal.

“That’s what I said!” He surveyed the kitchen and living room and deemed them to be not in bad shape. He delegated Ally to vacuuming and dusting and Patrick to making sure everything was picked up and put away. 

“Vacuuming all done, Dad.” Ally reported a few minutes later. “Can I help with dinner?”

“What are we having?” Patrick piped up.

“Everything put away?” Scott asked, as he stirred the tomato sauce into the hamburger sizzling in the fry pan.

“All the coats and shoes are in the closet. The book and magazines are on the shelf. The toys are in the storage chest.” Patrick reported. “I even made my bed.”

Scott nodded, impressed. “Very good, buddy boy.”

“So, what are we having?” Patrick looked over the packages strewn across the counter. “Lasagna? I love lasagna!”

The kids washed their hands and helped layer the pre-cooked noodles and cheese while Scott added the hamburger and sauce mixture and some veggies. Once they were finished and all had added a layer of their favourite cheese to the top, Ally carefully placed the dish in the oven, making sure to set the timer after she closed the oven door. Patrick was carefully slicing some celery and cucumber for an hors d'oeuvre tray, his tongue poking out between his lips as he focused on his task. Scott added some cheese cubes and crackers, while Ally speared pickles to add to the platter. Letting the boys finish the platter, Ally smoothed a brightly colored tablecloth over the scarred surface of the wooden dining table, and Patrick precisely placed the dishes and silverware in their settings.

Scott pulled the kids in for a hug just as the doorbell rang. “That’s Tessa. The place looks amazing, kids. I couldn’t have done it without you two!”

Patrick ran to open the door and greet their guest. Scott looked on, amusement dancing in his eyes, as his son ushered Tessa into the apartment, offered to take her jacket and led her into the living room before he placed her jacket in the closet.

“My, what manners!” Tessa giggled. “Thank you sir Patrick.”

Ally greeted her with a warm hug and quickly pulled her over to the sofa to ask her a boy question. Scott shrugged and laughed, Tessa giving him a funny wide eyed smile, her hand in Ally’s, as they passed, making their way to the living room.  
The children kept Tessa busy until dinner was ready, Patrick displaying off a collection of action figures, excitedly pushing on her shoulder when he wanted to show her a special figure and Ally going through her photo gallery on her phone, sharing her favourite photos of her family and friends. Scott called everyone to the table, he and Tessa sharing amused glances as the kids fought over who got to sit closest to Tessa, even though they were both equally close. They chattered all through dinner, Scott barely getting a word in edgewise, but it didn’t bother him. It meant so much to him that the children loved Tessa and were being so open with her. 

Tessa and Scott managed to have a few moments to themselves when the kids offered to get dessert.

“Dad says it’s fresh baked.” 

“Oh? You’re baking now?” Tessa teased. “I don’t recall you baking before.” 

“Patch, that just means the store baked it this morning before Dad bought it.” Ally chimed in. 

Tessa collapsed in a fit of giggles at that pronouncement while Scott looked on, crestfallen.

“Nice Ally, way to call me out on that.” Scott mock saluted his daughter. “Way to support your good old Dad.”

Ally grinned, knowing he was just teasing her and continued scooping out ice cream into the dessert dishes. 

“I love your kids.” Tessa leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. “They are the very essence of you.”

“They love you.” he replied. “Thank you for being so patient with them.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott stood at the top of the stairs, both kids tucked in and kissed good night. He knew they would stay up playing on their phones, but he hoped they would eventually get tired enough to fall asleep.

“Okay you two. I know there’s no school tomorrow, but please try to get a good night's sleep.” 

“Is Aunt Tessa still here?” Patrick called from his room.

“Yes, we’re going to talk for a bit, maybe watch a movie.”

“Is she spending the night?”

Scott blushed and then realized Patrick was referring to spending the night, as in the night that they came home from children’s services.

“No, buddy boy, I don’t think so. We’re just gonna talk.”

“Okay, ask her to come say good night to me before she leaves.” 

Scott smiled. “I will. Good night my amazing children, get some sleep.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Whoo! I’m sorry they monopolized all your time tonight.” Scott settled down on the sofa, picking the opposite end from Tessa, instead of where he preferred - right beside her.

“Don’t apologize!” Tessa smiled. “They are such great kids, you’ve done a wonderful job raising them.”

“We’ve had our moments.” Scott mused. “And some struggles, but I like to think we’ve worked everything out.”

“I think so.” Tessa picked at a stray thread on the sofa cushion. “Did you tell them about the house?”

“No, I thought I would wait until this weekend. Maybe drive there and surprise them. They are going to be so excited!”

Her eyes drifted to a family portrait on a nearby shelf. She mentally put herself in Jocelyn’s place and it almost brought tears to her eyes about how right it felt. “I’d love to be there to see their faces.”

“You can be.” Scott reached over and grasped her hand. “Of course you can be. You’re welcome anytime, you know that.”

“This is hard Scott, to let you back into my life.” Tessa bit her lip. “I don’t want this to be weird.”

“I never stopped loving you.” Scott burst out. 

Tessa swayed back, his sudden confession taking her aback. But truly, it wasn’t that surprising. As hard as she tried, she never stopped loving him either.

“Scott...we need to take this slow.” she insisted. “We can’t fall back into our old ways of jumping in bed and trying to make everything go away.”

He nodded in agreement. “I have the kids to think about. Their lives have been messed up enough with the mess between Jocelyn and I. They are my first priority.”

Tessa nodded slowly. _What am I doing? Am I really agreeing to start a relationship with him again? I must be crazy._ “Okay...great, that’s good to hear.”

“I thought...maybe...we could do dinner maybe once a week? Here or go out? I can get Mrs. Lake or mom to stay with the kids and we can take in a movie once in a while?”

“Are you trying to court me, Mr. Moir?”

Scott smiled and squeezed her hand. “I want to be respectful and treat you the way I should have treated you years ago. I’m not going to push you into anything.”

Tessa nodded again. Fatherhood and aging agreed with him. He seemed far more mature and sensible about dating, a relationship or whatever they were going to call this.

“Can you respectfully kiss me?”

Scott’s eyes grew large. “I’m pretty sure I can do that.” He moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For giving me another chance.”


	13. Chapter 13

“Where are we going Dad?”

Patrick stared out the window at his surroundings, thoroughly lost. Ally was on her phone, as usual, oblivious to her surroundings. Scott was driving to the house through all the back dirt roads, trying to make sure the kids didn’t know where they were until the last possible moment.

“Just for a drive. It’s a beautiful day for a drive.”

Ally lifted her head up and looked around. “Why is it so bumpy? I’m getting sick to my stomach!”

Scott laughed. “Country roads, sweetie. Good old country roads.”

“Ugh.” Ally groaned, tossing her phone aside. “Give me city pavement, puh-lease.”

“We're almost there.” Scott assured them.

“I thought we were just going for a drive?” Patrick asked, suspicious now of his father's intentions.

“Oh...yeah.” Scott grinned. “We might actually have a destination.”

Tessa had agreed to meet them at the house and Scott had packed all the fixings for a barbeque for them. He thought that the kids reintroduction to the house should be a joyous occasion to help wipe the bad memories away. He wasn't sure what all Tessa had done to the house in the week since he found out she was the new owner, but she assured him to not worry, everything would be ready for their arrival.

The van turned onto the dirt road that led to the house. As they grew closer, Scott felt Patrick's fingers digging into his shoulder. 

“Why are we going to mom's house?” 

“Mom's house?” Ally's voice quavered and the sound tore Scott's heart out. “Dad! No!”

“You said we got to stay with you!” Patrick cried. “We don't want to go to mom's house.”

Scott clenched his jaw tightly. Patrick was barely old enough to remember that this house was once their house, that he shared it with Jocelyn and tried to make it a happy family home. He hated that the mere thought of driving to the house brought this much fear to the kids. He detested his ex wife for making decisions that brought this fear to their children. He pulled the van to the side of the road and put it in park.

“Kids. Your mom sold the house.”. We are going there, but she doesn’t live there anymore. She’s not there. Bruce is not there. They can’t hurt you anymore.” 

“I don’t have good memories there anymore.” Ally lamented. 

“Me either.” Patrick added.

“Can we go just to take a look?” Scott asked. “I want to see the place once more.”

“Mom’s not there?” Ally questioned, knowing her father wouldn’t lie to her.

“I promise you, your mom is not there.” Scott crossed his heart with his finger. “Cross my heart.”

Ally and Patrick glanced at each other and nodded. “Okay, Dad, we’ll do it for you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scott pulled into the lane, beside Tessa’s car and turned off the ignition.

“You guys are going to come with me, right? Mom might have left some of your things here.”

Scott got out of the van and waited for the kids to join him. He knew they were still feeling a bit nervous about entering the house when they both snuggled right up to him, each snatching a hand and clinging tightly to him as they entered the kitchen through the squeaky screen door.

“Wow.”

Ally and Patrick looked around in amazement. Tessa had bought all new top of the line appliances for the kitchen and had it painted a cheerful pale yellow colour. A bouquet of flowers tied with a blue polka dotted bow sat in the middle of the table, an envelope leaned up against it. 

“Why don’t you open it?” Scott gestured to the envelope.

“Dad, it’s not for us.” Ally chided. “It wouldn’t be right to open it.”

“Go ahead. No one will know.”

Patrick snatched the envelope up and gently opened the flap. “It says “Welcome to your new home.” he read. “Wishing you a wonderful life with your lovely family in your new (old) home, enjoy this Ally, Patrick and Scott, Love T.”

Patrick looked up quizzically, just as Tessa emerged from the living room. “Welcome home, Moirs!”

Ally and Patrick stared at each other. “We get to live here? With Dad?”

Scott looped his arm around Tessa’s waist and pulled her close. “Aunt Tessa bought the house from your mom and she is letting me rent it from her. What do you think about that?”

The kids ran over and pulled Tessa into a group hug, showing their appreciation with shouts, hugs and kisses. 

“Thank you Aunt Tessa!” Ally said, breathlessly. “This is so nice.”

“I don’t remember living here with Dad.” Patrick confessed, looking up at Tessa with wide eyes. “But I know he worked real hard to make this house and I know this will make him really happy.”

Tessa hugged Patrick gently and glanced over to Scott, who was wiping the corner of his eye. “I hope it makes your dad and you happy to live here together.”

“The kitchen is beautiful Aunt Tessa.” Ally stood beside her and gave her a hug. “Thank you so much.”

“Go check out the rest of the house.” Tessa urged. “I did a few updates.”

Scott wandered through the main floor of the house, admiring the redecorating that Tessa claimed was “nothing much really” and appreciated the subtle whites and creams of the walls and the pops of colour from the bright pillows and throws that decorated the furniture.

“T. This is too much. Really. We have furniture.” Scott tried to take everything in, slightly overwhelmed at the renewed beauty of the house.

“It’s nothing.” Tessa insisted. Some pieces I had at the cottage and from Mom’s old place. They’re barely used.”

Scott entered the living room and stopped dead in the doorway. Tears slid down his face as he gazed at the black and white images that decorated the walls - holding Ally when she was just a few days old, laying on the floor eye to eye with a two year Patrick as he pushed cars across the carpet, the three of them hand in hand on the ice with beaming smiles, Ally in Tessa’s Moulin Rouge dress Scott holding her aloft, Patrick sitting on the couch in his Leafs jersey raucously cheering for their team.

“Where did you get all these?” he asked, his voice choking with emotion.

Tessa moved beside him and put her arm around his shoulders. “Your mom is a really excellent photographer. She had some gems in her books.”

“You took that one of Ally and me.” Scott gestured to the photo. “When you helped her try on your dress.”

“So.” Tessa laughed lightly. “Maybe your mom isn’t the only good photographer. I took that one of Patrick too, just a couple of day ago when we were watching the game.”

“They’re beautiful, Tess. Everything is just perfect.” Scott breathed in deeply. “I don’t know how to properly thank you for this. I don’t think I ever can repay you.”

“I’ve told you that you don’t have to.” She touched his cheek softly and pressed her lips to his. “I want your family to be together and happy. That’s all the repayment I need.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later, after their barbeque dinner, they relaxed around the firepit, Tessa and Scott side by side on one of the swings and the kids making s’mores. 

“This has been a wonderful evening.” Tessa sighed and let her head fall to Scott’s shoulder. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

“You made this happen. We wouldn’t have this evening if it wasn’t for you.” he took her hand gently. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“Seeing the kids faces. That was the best.” Tessa smiled. “They were so surprised.”

“That was great.” Scott nodded as he watched Ally press her graham crackers together, sandwiching the chocolate and super sized marshmallows. “They were so scared when we drove up. They thought I was bringing them back to Jocelyn.”

Tessa sat up. “They didn’t know the house was for sale?”

“They didn’t know anything about it. I didn’t tell them because they were with me and hopefully not going back to her for a long time. Obviously, she didn’t say anything to them about her plans.” Scott frowned. “I never want to see my children that scared again. Seeing them like that, it makes me feel like, I don’t know, just...powerless. Like I ruined their lives.”

“Don’t you ever think that!” Tessa admonished him. “Ally and Patrick love you so much. You must be doing something right. It’s not your fault that Jocelyn is a terrible mother.”

“But maybe if I..”

“No.” Tessa held up her hand. “I know you tried your best to keep the marriage together. I know you had some moments of...weakness...but you kept going back to her and tried to keep things going for them.”

Scott watched his children as they giggled over their treats, their hands and faces sticky with their gooey concoctions. “I love them so much.”

“I know you do.” Tessa leaned against him and rubbed his back. “Anyone can see how much you care for them.”

Scott angled his head to lean over and kiss this magnificent lady who had held his ass up throughout their career and was continuing to do so. He didn’t deserve her. Their lips were almost touching when Patrick piped up. “Aunt Tessa!” Scott and Tessa separated quickly, glancing at each other guiltily. “I brought you a s’more. But we ran out of marshmallow so we put extra chocolate in.”

“You know I love extra chocolate!” Tessa exclaimed, taking a nibble of the treat.

“Yeah!” Patrick grinned.

“Thank you sweetie.” Tessa pulled him into a hug. “I love it!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They spent the next few weeks packing and gradually moving smaller items into the house. Scott still couldn’t believe that the house was his again. Well, kind of his. The kids were getting more excited with each passing day that brought them closer to their last day at the apartment and move in day at the house. 

Tessa was constantly popping in during the moving process, helping to Scott to decorate and leaving gifts for Ally and Patrick around the house - little surprises they would find as they organized their rooms. Scott asked her to stop, but she just smiled at him and the gifts continued. Her explanation was that she missed out on spoiling the kids all their lives to this point, so she was going to do it now. Scott, happy that she got along so well with the kids, couldn’t argue with that explanation and let her continue. Occasionally, he would find a well hidden gift for himself also. He smiled as he stared down at the framed photo he had found buried in his underwear drawer. It was a photo of him and Tessa on tour, Tessa was holding Ally and Scott was gazing at her so reverently that if Jocelyn had seen this photo he would have been divorced before Patrick had a chance to be conceived. He set the photo on the dresser, angling it so it was visible from the living area in the bedroom. 

Scott was grateful for Tessa’s help and was loving the natural rhythm they had fallen back into. She was spending more and more time with them and slowly integrating herself into their family unit. The kids were finding it natural for her to be with them for dinner and were disappointed if she wasn’t there. She was joining them for family outings, such as movies and skating, and even the occasional dinner at his parents place. Every now and then Scott would find a sweater of hers tucked into a drawer of his dresser or a coat in the closet and she would tell him she was just leaving it there in case she needed it next time she was over helping.

Finally the big day arrived and they moved the last of the furniture from the apartment.

“Say goodbye guys, hopefully we never had to come back here again!”  
Tessa took a few photos of the kids with Scott as they examined the markings of their heights in the kitchen doorway. Both had grown so much since the last line. Tessa handed Scott a pencil from her purse for him to add the last notation and to date it. Finished, he let the kids go to make sure they had everything. Scott put his arm around Tessa as they watched them wander through the empty space. 

“We’re going to miss this place, it was ours and we loved it, but we are going to love our new home so much more. Thank you, T.”

“Time to make new memories.” Tessa swiped a tear from her eye. “Time for a new beginning.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They sat on the sofa after dinner, happily full with pizza and soda and tired from moving the very last of the Moirs furniture into the house. Ally and Patrick were upstairs decorating their rooms now that their beds were in place. Scott glanced over to Tessa and noticed her eyes slipping shut. 

“Why don’t you just stay here tonight?” he whispered, giving her a gentle shake. “You must be exhausted.”

“Maybe I’ll just go up for a little nap.” she yawned. “I am tired. A little rest before I drive home.”

“You don’t have to drive home.” he suggested. “There’s lots of space.”

“The guest room isn’t done.” she protested. “Where would I stay?”

“We’ll find room.” he wiggled his eyebrows at her, hopefully seductively. “You don’t have to drive home tonight.” he repeated, hoping she would understand his message.

She smiled sleepily at him. “Maybe I should still go up for that nap, and just be rested for later.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’ll say goodnight to the kids and I’ll see you later”

Scott offered a goofy smile as he blew her a kiss. Honestly, he’d be happy for her just to stay and they could cuddle all night, he didn’t expect any more. But if she was willing...he would be more than happy to accommodate her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you sure about this T?” Scott nervously stood in the doorway as Tessa entered his bedroom and gingerly sat on the edge of the bed.

“I think so. Yes. I am.” Tessa assured him, removing her sweater and tossing it onto the chair in the corner. She laid back on the pillows, eyeing Scott with a playful smirk. “What about you? Are you sure you want this?” To emphasize what this was, she slowly traced the outline of her bra with one finger..

Scott’s eyes grew large and he choked back a groan. “Yes...I...oh yes. I’m just gonna..” He stopped mid sentence when Tessa’s bra landed on his shoulder. “I’m just gonna..gonna check to make sure the kids are asleep.” he managed to squeak out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Tess." Scott whispered in her ear. "I missed you. I missed...you...so...fucking...much." 

"Scott." Tessa latched onto his neck, kissing and sucking his adams apple as he continued to thrust into her.

"Tess...I'm so close...I…"

"Scott!"

"Dad?"

Tessa uttered a scream and pushed Scott off of her before she dove under the covers. He couldn't help the groan that escaped as he slipped out of her. He had been very close.

"Patrick, come here, what's wrong?"

Tessa crawled out of bed as Scott shielded his sons eyes. She slipped on her panties and Scott's shirt, then disappeared to the family room.

“Son, we were…” Scott stammered. “Aunt Tessa and I…”

“I know what you were doing.” Patrick said, calmly. “You talked with me about it. The birds and the bees, right?”

“Yeah.” Scott patted the bed beside him and Patrick climbed up. “The facts of life.”

"Dad, do you love Aunt Tessa?"

Scott simply looked at his son in stunned silence. Did he? He was pretty sure the answer was yes. He was enjoying spending time with her and she seemed to be happy too. “Why are you asking that, Patch?”

"You told me never to do...that...with someone unless I was truly in love."

Scott sat dumbfounded at the fact that his son had actually listened to him and remembered, but also that he was so calm about it.

“I do, son. I love Aunt Tessa very much.” he pulled Patrick close to him. “I think she’s going to be spending a lot of time here, so maybe we’ll knock on the door next time we wake up in the middle of the night?”

Patrick shuddered theatrically. “Yes! I don’t want to see that again!”

Scott swatted at him, laughing. “What woke you up, buddy boy?”

“I had a nightmare.” Patrick reached for his father's hand and gave it a squeeze. “I was scared and thought we could have manly snuggle time.”

“Let me...uh...find some pants.” Scott looked around, but he couldn’t see where his pants had landed when Tessa pulled them off of him. 

Patrick slipped off the bed and handed Scott his boxers. “They were on the lamp.”

Scott blushed and hastily pulled the underwear on under the sheets. “Okay, let’s go have that manly snuggle time.”

“I’m sorry dad.” Patrick apologized as they walked to his room. “You can go find Aunt Tessa instead.” 

“Nope.” Scott pulled Patrick close. “You and Ally will always come first. You can have manly snuggle time with me anytime you want it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Tessa?”

Scott found Tessa curled up on the sofa, a plush throw tossed over her naked legs, her head resting on a small cushion. He sat beside her and tenderly squeezed her shoulder. “Come back to bed?”

She stretched and yawned. “I must have fallen asleep again.”

“I’m sorry about the interruption. Patrick has had a fair share of nightmares in the last year. He likes to snuggle after.”

“Poor kid.” Tessa murmured. “He’s really going to have nightmares now.”

Scott laughed. “He was actually pretty cool about it. But he agreed to knock first next time.”

“Next time?” Tessa grinned. “Someone is pretty confident! Has this happened before?” Tessa pushed back the throw and drew her legs up to her chest.

“A couple times. One time Ally came in and just laid herself down beside Jocelyn and I when we were right in the middle. I don’t think she was even awake.”

“Just with Jocelyn?”

Scott knew what Tessa was getting at. “Yeah, pretty much. After the divorce I didn’t really date much and if I did find someone I wanted to go a little further with, I made sure the kids were at moms so I could bring her back to the apartment.” Scott noticed Tessa’s mouth turn down and hurriedly added. “There weren’t many. The kids were my priority. I wasn’t looking for another long term relationship. Just something to scratch the itch, if you know what I mean.”

Tessa nodded. “Speaking of...I kind of relieved some frustration down here. You weren’t the only one that was close.”

Scott groaned at the mental image that popped into his head. “I’m so sorry.”

“Maybe you can find your place...if you know what I mean?” she winked saucily at him.

Scott groaned again as his body reacted. He quickly scooped her up, carrying her up the stairs to his room as fast as his feet could move.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tessa lay quietly in the dark, Scotts weight heavy on her and his warmth enveloping her. She lightly brushed his shoulder with her palm, softly moaning when he shifted and pushed himself even closer to her. She let her thoughts wander, trying to figure out why she was always willing to let him back in, why he had this power over her. She had told herself this time would be different. That they truly would be just business partners, or at least business associates, and keep it at that. That was before she found herself spending her days with Scott at work and most of her evenings with Scott and his children. She was in love with Ally and Patrick. She loved spending time with them, helping Ally with fashion, makeup and talking about boys and she couldn’t help but adore Patrick who was a mini version of his father. Always energetic and curious about the world around him. She loved when they came to her with questions or for help with their homework, she adored when they snuggled up with her and Scott while watching TV, comfortably sprawling across her and their father, their heads resting on her lap and making something inside her yearn for that feeling to never end.

“What are you thinking about?”

She twisted her head at the soft whisper in her ear and stared into Scott’s hazel eyes.

“I’m just thinking about...us.” she answered truthfully. “And wondering why you left me back then and why I’m willing to take you back.”

Scott rolled onto his back and sighed. “That’s pretty heavy, T.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

They lay quietly, their hands and fingers restless until they found each others and entwined them, their chests rising and falling as one.

“I don’t know why I did it.” Scott finally broke the silence. “I wish I did. I loved you with all my heart and even as I was with her, I knew that when you found out it would break your heart.” He shifted and lifted himself up, supporting his weight on his arm. “I only married her because she was pregnant and it was the right thing to do. I was never happy. The only good thing that happened in that relationship was my kids.”

“I tried to hate you.” Tessa finally whispered. “I tried so hard. We were so happy and I could finally see our future together and then, when you told me...I wanted to scream and cry. I wanted you to hurt so badly. I wanted to hate you. But I couldn’t.”

Scott pulled her close and she buried her face in his chest. 

“I’m so sorry T. I know how badly I treated you. I don’t deserve you or your love.”

“I knew why you stayed with her. I knew it was only because of Ally. Ally had always been your dream.” Tessa sniffled and Scott brushed a tear from her eye. “You loved that little baby more than I’ve ever seen someone love a child.” Tessa shifted to a sitting position, grabbing the sheets as she did to cover her nakedness. “My heart started to let you back in when I saw you alone with Ally on the tour.”

“You helped me so much with her then.” Scott mused. “I don’t know if I could have done it by myself.”

“What we did was wrong though. You were married.”

“It wasn’t a happy marriage.” Scott offered.

“It doesn’t matter. You were married. I realized the last time we were together, we were having sex while your two month old son slept on the floor beside us. It was so wrong.” Tessa buried her face in her hands. “I tried to forget you after that. Go on with my life and forget you ever existed. I was doing pretty good too until I walked into Box Mart and you were standing there. All the feelings I ever had for you just hit me like a punch to the stomach when I saw you.”

“Why are you here Tess?” Scott sat up and put his arm around her slim shoulders. 

“Because I love you.” she whispered, her shoulders shaking as her tears started to fall.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know anything else, Scott. You’re all I’ve ever known.”

At that, he pulled her onto his lap and she curled into his embrace. “I love you so much Tess. I will never do anything to hurt you again. We belong together.”

“We are the only two that understand each other, how fucked up is that? We can’t let anyone else in because we are too close.” Tessa sobbed. “We’ve been together since we were children and it messed up our whole lives.”

“Do you want to let someone else in?” Scott asked her, his voice gentle. “I understand if you do.”

Her head shook violently against his chest and she clung to him desperately.

“I only want you. I’ve only ever wanted you.”


	14. Chapter 14

“Mr. Moir. Why do you want sole custody of your children?”

Scott looked up from his scratch pad and all the scribbles that his restless hands had created while he listened to his lawyer. He had completely zoned out of the conversation as he thought back to the morning as he was getting ready to leave the house.

_“I think I’ll ask Ally to come shop for an outfit with me. Two kids at the lawyer's office might be a bit much, don’t you think?”_

_“She’d love that. Patrick has some homework he needs to get finished so he can sit in the office with me.”_

_“Are you nervous?” she asked him as she tucked the sheets under the pillows. Scott tossed her the decorative throw pillows for the final touches on the bed._

_“I’m terrified, to be honest.”_

_“Take lots of notes. We can go over them tonight.”_

_Tessa kissed the tip of his nose as she placed the pen and notepad in his hands._

_“Notes won’t help.” Scott grinned. “I’ve been through it all before.”_

_“Really?” Tessa studied his face with a slight frown. “And how did that work out for you?”_

_Scott sighed. “I’ll take notes, I promise.”_

_“This might be the most important day of your life and certainly your children’s lives. I just want you to be ready and fully prepared.”_

_“Thank you.” Scott set the pen and pad on the bedside table and took Tessa in his arms. “I love you. Thank you for being here for me and for Ally and Patrick.”_

Now he and Patrick were at his lawyer's office so Scott could be prepped for the upcoming custody hearing. Ally, naturally, had jumped at the chance to go shopping with Tessa, so Patrick grudgingly came with Scott to finish his school work. Randall Craig, the best custody lawyer in London (so Scott had been told) was asking him the standard questions and coaching him on his answers. Patrick sat at the table with them, supposedly doing his homework, but Scott knew he was paying attention to every word being said.

“Why do I want…?” Scott asked, incredulously. “Because I miss them when they aren’t here and I love them, of course.”

“No.” Craig corrected him. “What do you think all parents say about wanting sole custody?”

Scott scratched his eyebrow. “But, it’s true.”

“Scott, you have to convince the judge how your children’s lives will be enriched if they are raised solely by you,” Craig told him. “You have to tell him what you are going to do to ensure that they grow up to be responsible, solid citizens with morals and values.”

“I’m responsible.” Patrick piped up. “I clean my room without Dad or Aunt Tessa asking and I do chores.”

“Aunt Tessa?”

Scott’s face turned red. “You know, my old skating partner...Tessa Virtue?”

“Why is Aunt Tessa asking you to clean your room, Patrick?” the lawyer asked as he glared at Scott.

“Oh sometimes, when she spends the night, she’ll ask me to do stuff to help dad out.”

“Does Aunt Tessa spend the night often?” Craig asked.

“No, not really.” Patrick paused and looked at his father. “She did last night, and the night before, right, but not for two weeks before that.”

Scott slumped in his chair. “It’s a fairly new relationship, Randall. The kids are comfortable with her but I swear she’s not doing any of the parenting.”

“Tessa was brought up as the cause of your divorce, correct?”

“Yes, but Jocelyn made it all up. Tessa and I broke up when Jocelyn told me she was pregnant.”

“And you didn’t get back into a relationship until recently?” Craig asked, knowing that Scott had admitted at the divorce hearing to sleeping with Tessa.

“Yes, a real relationship anyway.” he nodded emphatically. “I hadn’t seen her for 10 years before we met a few months ago. Anything we might have had during my marriage was not a relationship.”

“You are aware that the judge might want to talk to Ally regarding the situation at your home? If she mentions Tessa it might not go well.”

“But…” Scott began.

“Why won’t the judge talk to me?” Patrick flipped his study book over and confronted the lawyer. “Why Ally and not me?”

“You’re too young son,” Craig brushed him off and addressed Scott once more. “Now, Scott…”

“No, wait!” Patrick pushed his chair back and stood up. “I love my dad and I want to tell the judge that I want to live with him only.”

Scott felt the tears welling up in his eyes and he reached for his son. “Patch, it’s okay.”

“I’m old enough!” Patrick replied defiantly. 

“The courts won’t speak to a child under 14, it’s just the way it is,” Randall explained, patiently. “How old are you, son?”

“Patch is 10. Ally is only 12, thirteen in January,” Scott told him. “She’s too young too.”

“She seems very mature.” Randall mused as he made some notes. “Beautiful girl, I thought she was older.”

Scott’s jaw clenched and he counted to ten before responding. “She’s twelve years old. She’s my baby,” he growled.

“Take it easy,” Randall assured him, scribbling on his notepad again. “It was just an observation.”

“I want to talk!” Patrick repeated. “I want the judge to know my feelings too.”

Randall sat back and smiled at the angry young boy. “In all honesty, knowing her age now, the judge might not talk either of you.”

“Patch.” Scott pulled his son close to him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you for being so passionate about this. Whatever happens, I know how much you love me and you know how much I love you.”

“I love you lots Dad.” Patrick hugged him back. “I just want to be able to stay with you.”

“I know.” Scott rubbed Patrick’s back gently. “I want the same thing.”

“If I get to talk, would it be okay to tell the judge about manly snuggle time?”

Scott grinned. “Absolutely!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I love my children with all my heart.”

Jocelyn sat in the witness chair and gazed at the judge with tears in her eyes. “I’ve missed them so much these past weeks.”

“I understand.” her lawyer stood in front of the bench and looked over to Scott. “Can you explain what happened to cause them to be placed in your ex-husband's custody?”

“It was all a misunderstanding.” Jocelyn sighed deeply. “The kids didn’t like my friend, Bruce.” Jocelyn sniffed. “They told Scott that he had been charged for something and Scott, as usual, overreacted and called child services on me.”

Scott jumped out of his seat. “He’s a goddamn pedophile!”

“Mr. Moir!” The judge pointed to him. “Return to your seat and refrain from speaking out. You will have your turn.”

“I see.” Her lawyer continued. “But the children were removed from your care.”

“I wasn’t home that night they were taken, which I think is highly unfair.” Jocelyn glared at Scott. “How could I explain myself if I wasn’t there?”

Scott turned to his lawyer as he rolled his eyes. “Isn’t that the whole point, that she wasn’t there?” he whispered.

“Have you had any contact since they were removed from your custody?”

“I haven’t been allowed to speak to my children.” Jocelyn wiped at her eyes with a tissue. “It’s part of the child services agreement. I have talked with Scott.”

“How did that go?”

“He told me he was determined to make sure I never saw my precious children again.”

"You told me you didn't want them!" Scott cried out, jumping from his seat once more. "You told me you never wanted them!" 

His lawyer was pulling him down to his seat, as the judge banged his gavel on his bench.

"Mr. Moir! Unless you want to be found in contempt of court I suggest you offer no further allegations."

Scott pushed away his lawyer's hands and pounded on the desk in front of him furiously. "She's lying! She doesn't care about the kids, she just wants my money!"

"Mr. Moir!"

Scott sat down with a sullen scowl on his face as Jocelyn beamed at the judge. “You see why it was so hard to live with him? I can’t imagine how he is with the children.”

Scott began to stand again when the judge first pointed at him and gestured for him to sit down and then addressed Jocelyn. “I said no more accusations. I meant from either of you.”

Jocelyn frowned as Scott returned to his seat. 

“I think we all need a break here. Calling for a 15-minute recess” The judge pounded his gavel and left the bench.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I ruined everything! I’m going to lose them!” 

Scott rushed into the waiting room and immediately grabbed his children, pulling them into a tight hug. Tessa, Alma, and Joe looked on as Scott embraced the kids, refusing to release them.

“I love you both. I want you to remember that.” Scott wept, tears streaming down his face. “No matter what happens. I love you both more than anything else in this world.”

“Did the judge say we have to go back to mom?” Ally looked up, fearfully. 

“No sweetie, not yet, but your mom...” He looked up at the others staring back at him. Tessa was shaking her head no just enough that he could understand that she didn’t want him to say any more about Jocelyn. “Your mom really wants you guys back. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

He released the kids eventually, but as he talked to his parents, Tessa watched him reach out and touch their shoulders or give their backs a gentle rub. He was using the grounding techniques that he had used with her back in the day, but it wasn’t calming him down. He was bouncing up and down slightly on his toes, his hands twitching nervously when they weren’t being shoved in his pockets or reaching out to touch the kids.

“She’s up to her old tricks. I’m gonna lose them to her.” Scott mumbled, trying to keep his voice low and not let the kids overhear. “She told the judge how much she loves them and how much she’s missed them. She’s bought a big new house, with lots of room for each of them, she’s left Bruce, she’s in counseling. She…”

"Scott!"

Tessa gripped him by the shoulders and literally shook him into silence.

"Stop it! Now! Look at your children.” She spun him around to see Ally and Patrick staring at him with wide eyes. These beautiful, intelligent, strong children are what you are here for. You don't want to lose them because of Jocelyn's games."

"Tess, I..."

Tessa pulled him towards her, wrapping her arms firmly around him, holding him tight to her. Instinctively, Scott's eyes dropped closed and he exhaled deeply as he returned the hug.

“Go back out there and let the judge know how much you love your children,” she whispered in his ear. “Be passionate, but don’t fly off the handle again. Hold your temper in. Stay calm and focused.” 

“I’m so afraid Tess,” he whispered back. “I can’t lose them.”

“Fight for them.” Tessa untangled herself from their hug and held him at arm’s length. She straightened his disheveled suit and redid his tie, the one that she had picked out for him that morning... “Fight for them, but fight smart.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mr. Moir, how long have you and your ex-wife held shared custody?”

Scott considered for a moment. “It’s been nearly 6 years now.”

“Why do you think the children would be better off in your custody?”

He folded his hands and stared out to the courtroom. He knew there was a chance the kids could see him, the waiting room had a TV for viewing the trials and hearings. They had it turned off during Jocelyn’s testimony, so the kids didn’t witness his outbursts. He hoped they had it on now. 

“I love my children with all my heart. They are the most important things in my world and have been ever since they were born. I’m lost without them and every day we share is better with them. I believe I can teach them well, and let them learn from my failings. I believe I can share my knowledge with them and at the same time, learn from them.”

“How would you react if the judge decided to award joint custody again today?”

“I would be unhappy, but I would make sure that every moment my children share with me is full of love, learning, and happiness.”

“Do you think your ex-wife is a fit mother?”

“I know she loves our children, we just have different ways of showing that love. I think she’s made some unwise decisions, but I have been guilty of that myself.”

“In the recent past, you have been working two jobs and been at work most of the day, only seeing your children in the morning and at night. You also were living in a walk-up apartment. How have you changed your living conditions?”

“I recently accepted a new job that allows me to be home in the morning to get the kids to school as well as being there for them after school. This job allows me more freedom to be available on holidays and school PA days when the children would be home.”

The lawyer and judge nodded and gestured for him to continue. 

“I also recently rented a house, with aims to purchase in the future. This allows the children their own space, with room to roam outside.”

He glanced over to Jocelyn and noticed her staring stonily at him. She must have heard about him living in his house once more, maybe even who had bought it. He briefly nodded, smiling slightly as Jocelyn lifted her nose and turned away.

“So things are looking up for you?”

“At the moment everything is great and having the children more often would make things almost perfect.”

“Why do you think your ex-wife should not have custody of your children?”

“I think the children would do better in a stable environment and not be tossed back and forth on a weekly basis. This has nothing to do with her as a person, it’s just what I think the children would most benefit from. I’ve seen the changes in them in the short time that I have had sole custody and I believe they will only get stronger in the same environment.”

“Do you think the children should still see her?”

“Absolutely! She is their mother and as such, the children need to keep that bond, that connection, and love.”

“Thank you, Mr. Moir.”

The judge nodded. “Thank you for your comments. Mr. Moir, I would like to speak to your eldest in my chambers before I make a decision. Please avoid the waiting room until you are notified she has been removed.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We didn’t prep her, we didn’t think he’d bother talking to her because of her age!”

Scott paced the waiting room, anxiously watching the minutes tick by on the clock.

“Scott.” his father reached out for him. “Ally is a smart girl, she knows how important this is to all of you.”

“But Ally is like me!” Scott blurted out. “She talks and then thinks! What if she says something about Tessa and me? What if she says I hate Jocelyn, what if…?”

“Calm down, honey.” his mother embraced him. “What’s done is done. Just trust your daughter to do the right thing.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good afternoon dear. I’m Judge Abernathy. What is your name?” 

The judge quietly shut the door of his chambers and greeted the dark-haired preteen that sat before him.

Ally regarded the older man with suspicious eyes. “I’m Allison Alma Marie Moir.” She said proudly as she shifted in her chair so she was sitting up tall and eye level with the judge.

“That’s a beautiful name.” 

“I’m named after a character in my Dad’s favorite book and my Gramma Moir.”

The judge nodded and jotted down some notes. “So how do you feel about your mom?”

“I...I love her” Ally said, hesitantly. “She’s my mom.”

“And what sort of things does she do with you, when it’s her week to have you and your brother?”

“Oh...well..mom is busy a lot. She takes courses and stuff. We shopped a lot.” Ally thought back. “We traveled a bit, but that was when I was little, I think when Dad was still married to mom. I can’t think of anyplace we’ve gone to with just mom.”

“Did she help you with homework or anything like that?”

“Sometimes?” Ally shrugged. “She isn’t really good with that sort of thing. She tried, I guess.”

“How about guests? Did you have many guests at the house?”

“Oh, mom let us have friends over all the time. We had lots of sleepovers.”

“What about adult guests?”

Ally frowned. “Not really. Bruce and his friends. I don’t want to talk about them.” She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair.

“That’s okay.” The judge made some more notes. “How about your Dad?”

Ally smiled brightly. “I love Dad!”

“Your dad does things with you?”

“He’s always helping us with our homework and taking us out to dinner, movies or skating, stuff like that.”

“Does he work a lot?”

Ally paused and considered. “He did. He worked two jobs and was gone a lot. But we always had Mrs. Lake to look after us, or Gramma and Granpa Moir and when he had a day off we spent the whole day together.”

“And now?”

“He has a new job and he’s home so much more. He’s so happy now.”

“Why was he working two jobs before?”

Ally sighed. She wasn’t supposed to know why her father had worked so hard, but she heard stuff. She had heard their mom talking and joking about him with Bruce and all the nasty things they said about him, and even Gramma and Granpa Moir had said he was going to kill himself from working so much and then what would happen to the kids. She knew she shouldn’t listen in on people's conversations, but they had been talking about her dad! “Dad had to work so much to pay our child support to mom. She got so much from him and she always wanted more. He loves us so much that he worked all the time to make sure we had what we needed.”

“Did your father tell you this?”

“Oh no! Dad didn’t want Patch and me to know why he had to work so hard. He never talked about how much money mom got or anything like that.”

“He never appeared angry that he had to work so much?”

Ally chewed on her fingernail, dropping her hands to her lap when she realized what she was doing. “No, I knew he was though. I knew he wanted to spend more time with Patch and me, but he just told us that he needed the jobs so we could have what we needed and to pay for the apartment.”

“Did your dad buy things for himself?”

“Oh no.” Ally shook her head. “He had a cell phone, but he only bought it so he could talk to us.”

“What about your mom?”

“Oh, she loved to shop! We went shopping all the time as long as I can remember.”

“Has your mom or dad ever made comments about each other to you?”

“Dad is always nice about mom.” Ally pronounced. “The worst he’s ever said is that he wishes he’d been smarter, but if he had been he wouldn’t have me or Patrick, so he’s glad he was dumb.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thank you for your patience.” the judge settled back into his seat behind the bench as he adjusted his robes. “Mr. Moir, Miss Darrian, you have a lovely, bright and charming daughter that you both should be very proud of. Her words and actions are those of a much older person and they helped shape my decision. You both should be very aware of what is said and done around your children. They notice everything and are very smart to pick up on things that are said. This shapes them in unbelievable ways. In the future, regardless of my decision, I would like you to carry that forward if you retain nothing else. That being said, my decision is…”


	15. Chapter 15

"My decision is that Mr. Moir and Miss Darrian shall once again share custody of the children." At his pronouncement, the judge banged his gavel on the bench.

“No!” Scott covered his face with his hands as he slumped in his chair. This was his worst nightmare come true. He'd been so hopeful the judge would rule in his favor this time. He’d done everything he could and it still wasn’t enough. 

"Mr. Moir, you have made noticeable changes to make your life and home more accommodating for the children and the court appreciates your efforts. Miss Darrian, this ruling places you under 6 months probation because of your poor decisions in the past. Your home and anyone providing childcare will be monitored by Children's Services for this period."

Scott opened his mouth to protest when the judge addressed him again.

"Mr. Moir, I know this isn't the outcome you were hoping for. I can tell how much you love your children, and honestly, it is refreshing to see. This court believes that children benefit from both parents love, input, and support. Believe me when I say that your children's care will be closely monitored. We have their best interests at heart."

Scott sat in stunned silence as the lawyers met with the judge to arrange a date for the child support payment decision. He looked over to see Jocelyn gleefully celebrating with her friends and throwing beaming smiles his way. He felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He'd all but promised the kids they would be able to stay with him and now he had to tell them they had to go back to their mother.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He entered the waiting room to see 5 pairs of eyes staring at him expectantly. Shaking his head no, he collapsed to one knee, putting his arms out. Ally and Patrick immediately rushed to embrace their father as Tessa, Alma and Joe surrounded the little family.

"They gave her custody?" Alma whispered. "After what she did?"

"Shared." His voice came out muffled, his face still buried in the crook of Patrick's neck. "The judge thinks it's for the best. "

“We still get to see you every other week?” Patrick asked, tears staining his face.

“Yes, Patch, just like before.” Scott reached up and dried his son’s tears with the tail of his tie. “Don’t cry, son, I’m sad enough for all of us.”

“But I told the judge how much we love you and how much time you spend with us.” Ally protested. “Why does he think we should go with Mom?”

“The judge thinks children should have the love of both parents and that it’s not fair to deny one for the favor of the other,” Scott explained.

“It’s not right!” Ally protested, angrily, crossing her arms over her chest. “Mom doesn’t love us, she just loves your money!”

“Honey.” Scott stood and drew Ally closer to him. “That’s not true. Your mom loves you in her own way. We have to honor the judge's decision, regardless of what we think.”

“I don’t want to go back to mom.” Patrick pouted. “I like living with you all the time.”

“And I love having you with me all the time,” Scott assured him. “But now that I’m working for Aunt Tessa we can make plans for our time together and do anything we want to do when you are with me.”

“Son.” Joe embraced Scott tightly. “I’m proud of you. You are raising your children well. You are taking this news like the man I hoped I had raised. Keep being strong for them.”

Scott’s reply caught in his throat. “Thank...thank you, Dad. I will.”

“I’m so sorry.” Alma reached out for Scott’s hand. “We made celebratory dinner reservations with the rest of the family. We can cancel.”

“We still need to eat, don’t we?” Scott encircled the group with his arms outstretched, Ally and Patrick jammed close to Scott in the middle. “We are all together right now and that’s enough of a reason for a celebration for me!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m so sorry Scott.”

Tessa and Scott lay in his bed, encircled in each other's arms. The kids had requested that she come back to the house with them and Scott had requested that she stay the night. 

_“I don’t...we don’t need... I just want…” he stammered._

_Tessa kissed him gently. “I understand, Scott.”_

“Thanks.” He turned to prop himself up on one arm and caressed her cheek. “My life is such a mess. I don’t know why you haven’t run away screaming.”

“You have made great strides in improving your life for the kids.” she smiled. “You are such a better man than you were years ago.”

“I feel like a goddamn failure,” he confessed. “I feel like I’m letting the kids down.”

He lay back down, his head on Tessa’s breast. She reached up, gently running her fingers through his hair. He was letting it grow slightly and she appreciated that he remembered her love of tangling her fingers in his soft locks.

“You had nothing to do with the judge's decision.”

“I could have done more. I should have done more.”

“You got a better job, you got a house, you protected them from a predator. What more could you have done?”

Scott blew out a frustrated breath that warmed her chest, that coupled with the vibrations from his voice made her squirm slightly beneath him.

“I just...I love them so much. I want the very best for them and I don’t think J does. I don’t think she cares.”

“Let’s not think about her tonight. Scott, I haven’t run away screaming because I love you.”

Scott lifted his head to see Tessa gazing down at him. “You love me?”

“Yes. I love you, Scott Moir.”

Scott shifted again so he was balanced above Tessa and staring down at her. “I love you so much, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me and the kids.”

“I think there might be a way to repay me,” Tessa replied, coyly, as she pulled his body down to meet hers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you have everything you need?”

Scott swiped away the tears at the sight of the suitcases waiting once again at the front door. He sincerely hoped this day would never come and now that it was here, he was having a tough time dealing with it.

Patrick slowly clomped down the stairs, his arms full of stuffed animals. “I’m going to take these to mom’s.” 

Scott grabbed a garbage bag for the stuffies and Patrick gently tossed them in, placing the bag beside his suitcase when it was full.

“Ally, are you ready?” Scott called from the bottom of the stairs. “It’s almost time.”

Ally slowly walked down the stairs carrying a small stack of magazines and books.

“You both have enough clothes? Do you have your homework? You know you can call me anytime you need help with anything. Do you have your pajamas? Anything you can think of that you don’t have? What about…?”

Ally wrapped her arms around her father, burying her face in his chest. Scott returned the hug, embracing her so tightly he was afraid he might hurt her.

“I love you so much. You are the best daughter a dad could ask for.”

Ally let go so that Patrick could step up for his hug. “I love you Patch.” Scott murmured in his son’s ear. “Remember when you get home we will have the best manly snuggle time ever.”

“I don’t want to go.” Ally whispered. “I don’t want to see mom.”

“Me either,” Patrick added.

“I don’t want you to go.” Scott knelt down and took their hands. “I love you both so very much and I am going to miss you so much.”

They embraced again, all three shedding many tears.

“Hey, kids, where are your phones?” Scott asked suddenly.

Both children pulled their phones from their pockets simultaneously and stared at him quizzically.

“Let’s take some silly selfies and you can send them to me later, okay?”

They spent the next few minutes posing for goofy photos - tongues hanging out, rabbit ears, crossed eyes - the works. By the time they were done, they were all giggling uncontrollably.

“These are great!” Scott commented as he scrolled through Patrick’s camera roll. “You can look at these and smile when you miss me, deal?”

They slapped hands in a loud high five just as the doorbell rang.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Jocelyn.”

Scott opened the front door wide, taking a step back so his ex-wife could enter the house. He studied her face as she looked around, taking in the changes to the house that Tessa had made.

“So interesting that you were able to rent from the current owner,” she noted. “They seemed intent about knocking this place down and building from scratch.”

“Yeah.” Scott helped Patrick get his arms through his backpack straps. “They happened to be here when I drove by to say goodbye to the place. It was a lucky break.” Scott noticed the grin on Patrick’s face and tried not to grin back. The children were under strict orders not to say anything about Tessa owning their house or that she and Scott were seeing each other. Scott knew it would just make an already tenuous situation worse and thankfully the kids understood that as well.

“Uh huh.” Jocelyn sniffed. “Seems very lucky indeed.”

“The kids are happy. They have their own rooms back and their friends are nearby. Everything is familiar and that’s good for them.” Scott observed.

“Well, wait until you see my new house!” Jocelyn enthused. “It’s bigger and better than this place. I know you are going to be so happy there!”

The children stood silently beside Scott, not saying a word.

“And where is your new house?” Scott asked, politely. 

“It’s in the ritziest section of London,” Jocelyn said smugly. “I was in a bidding war for it, but I won in the end. I knew it would be a grand place to raise my children.”

Scott nodded thoughtfully. “You know, it’s not always about money, J. Look at me and the kids, we were living in an apartment over a hair salon, but we were happy because we had each other.” 

“You’ll be impressed when you see it,” Jocelyn promised, ignoring Scott. “You are going to love it! I have so many great things planned for our week together. Your dad isn’t the only one that does fun stuff.” She pointedly glared at Scott. “We’re going to have a great week, let’s get it started!”

Ally and Patrick kissed Scott and slowly shuffled out of the house, dragging their suitcases as they followed behind their mother. Scott watched and waved from the window, fat tears rolling down his cheeks, as they entered the car and drove away in a cloud of dust down the dirt road.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Daddy?"

Scott's heart sank as he heard the quavering voice of his eldest child. 

She was in tears - again - the third time this week, and it was killing him. He realized a beat too late what Ally had just called him. She never called him daddy anymore. She was too grown up for that. Then he focused on the background noises. Crying. Screaming. Sirens. What in the hell?

"Baby girl, what's going on?" Scott tried to keep his voice steady and calm, despite all of the things that could have gone wrong running through his head.

"We were in an accident." Ally sobbed.

"Are you alright?" He clenched the phone in his fist, trying to convince himself this was nothing serious and failing miserably.

"I...I think so." Ally sniffed and hiccuped back a cry.

"Honey, is anyone hurt?" He prayed to God that it was a minor incident. 

"The police...they...they told me not to move. I can't see Mom. Patch...Patch isn't moving...there's a lot of blood. I'm scared, Daddy!"

The blood drained from his face and Scott collapsed onto the wooden kitchen chair. No. He couldn't lose Patch. No! He had to be okay.

"Tell me where you are, baby. I'll be right there." Scott scrambled for his coat and car keys with the phone awkwardly tucked between his shoulder and ear as Ally tried to recognize their location. He ran out of the house barefoot, barging back in to slip on his shoes, then back out into the cold night air.

"Listen to the first responders, honey. Do what they say. I'm on my way." 

Scott drove up to the site of the accident and parked haphazardly by the closest road closed sign. His eyes darted about, anxiously searching for Jocelyn's car. When he saw it, his knees buckled. The hood of the vehicle had been pushed into the front seat by the other car and Scott was having a hard time seeing how anyone could have survived. Doubling over, he threw up the meager contents of his stomach onto the road. Taking several deep breaths, he regained some strength and jogged up to the nearest officer.

"Sir, my name is Scott Moir. My children were...they were involved in the accident. Can you take me to them?" 

"I'm sorry sir, I can't release any information…"

"My children are in that car!" Scott cried as he pointed to the wrecked vehicle. "I need to see them!"

"Sir, I can't…"

Scott started to push past the officer when a firefighter came up and grabbed his arm. 

"You're Moir's brother, right?"

Scott pulled his arm out of the man's grasp and nodded. "Yes, Charlie is my older brother."

"Come on with me. Your daughter is with him."

Scott broke down when he saw Ally looking so impossibly small curled up on her uncle's lap. She had a bleeding wound on her forehead and small cuts and bruises dotted her arms. Charlie had a blanket over her shoulders for warmth and he was murmuring reassurances in her ear as rocked her gently.

"Ally." Scott breathed. "Oh, baby girl."

"Scott. Hey, Ali-baba here's your dad." Charlie passed Ally over to Scott and she immediately snuggled her face into the crevasse of his neck. Scott held her tightly hoping to settle her quaking limbs and calm himself at the same time.

"Thank you, Char. Thank you so much. I can never…"

" You need to get to the hospital for Patch. They just left with him. I'll get someone to drive you. Ally should be checked over too. I think she hit her head." 

"My car…"

"Give me the keys. I'll get it to the hospital for you. You shouldn't be driving."

"Charlie." He stared into his brother's eyes, hoping for a sign that everything was going to be fine, but the look he got in return was just as bleak as he felt. 

"I've called mom and dad. They will meet you at the hospital." He gestured to an officer that had suddenly appeared beside him.

"Tony will get you and Ally there ASAP. I'll call you after shift to see how he is."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ally snuggled beside Scott, her head resting in his lap as they sat in the bare waiting room for news on Patrick's condition. The doctor had thoroughly checked Ally over, as well as taken x rays and he deemed her healthy enough to go home. He treated her cuts and the small head wound, warning Scott to watch for signs of concussion as it did appear she had hit her head during the accident.

“Scott! Ally!”

Alma rushed into the waiting room, Joe following close behind her. Alma embraced Ally, raining kisses on her hair. “My baby. Are you alright, sweetie?”

Joe kissed Ally’s cheek gently in greeting as he held her hand. “How’s Patch, son?”

“We don’t know yet.” Scott looked up with panicked eyes. He’d been focusing on Ally so that he wouldn’t worry about Patrick, but his father just brought that worry back to the front of his mind. “They just finished with Ally and then brought us here to wait.”

“How are you feeling, Miss Allison?” 

Joe squeezed her hand and Ally looked up, her face pale and frightened. She twisted to gaze up at Scott and then lay her head down again.

“She hasn’t talked since I got to the scene of the accident,” Scott informed them. “She only just let me put her down to walk from emerg to here.”

Scott explained how the doctor said shock was possibly setting in, with who knows what she witnessed tonight during the accident and the aftermath running through her mind. He figured she would talk when she was ready. Until then, all he could do was be there for her. He hugged her shoulder gently and she curled up tighter, close to him as she could get. Scott could feel her shivering again and he gestured for his mother to help remove his coat to place over Ally’s shoulders. He idly wondered where her coat might be, finally deciding it must be in the wrecked car. 

As they sat waiting, Ally started to drift off. Per the doctor's instructions, Scott shook her gently every 10 minutes or so, whispering in her ear to make her wake up. He checked to make sure her eyes were clear and she was still alert. Just as he felt himself starting to fall asleep, his phone pinged loudly. Scott patted his pants pockets, then, more gently, his coat pockets, drawing the phone out and squinting at the screen.

**TJV - I’m so ready for date night tonight!**

**TJV - Where are you, why aren’t you answering?**

**TJV - I guess I’ll meet you there?**

**TJV - I had a couple of drinks, I don’t know where you are.**

**TJV - I’m home now**

**TJV - Scott, this isn’t like you. I’m worried**

Shit! In all the chaos, he had naturally completely forgotten about his date night with Tessa. He quickly typed out a message and hit send just as a nurse entered the waiting room and asked him to follow her. Ally grasped his hand tightly, walking sleepily with him down the bright hallway, staying firmly by his side. Alma and Joe followed quietly behind, their hands clasped as well.

Scott cried out as he entered the small room. Patrick lay still on the bed, pale as the sheets beneath him, his dark eyelashes feathered on his cheeks. He was also covered in cuts and bruises, with a large bandage prominent on his chest, but Scott’s eyes were focused on the pulleys that were holding his son’s right leg aloft and the angry red line of an incision from knee to ankle. Scott’s knees gave out and the nurse pushed a chair behind him just at the right moment, saving him from a tumble to the floor. He reached out for his son’s small hand, tubes and wires protruding obscenely from it. His tears splashed onto his hand as well as Patrick’s as he silently prayed for his youngest child to make it through the night.


	16. Chapter 16

“There’s my precious boy!” Jocelyn burst into the room, throwing the door open with a shove, causing it to smack against the wall with a loud bang. Ally jumped, cowering against her grandfather at the sight of her mother. Jocelyn jogged over to the bed, only to be stopped before she could reach it by a livid Scott standing in her path with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Get the hell out!” Scott growled. “You have no right.”

Jocelyn glared at her ex-husband as she tried inching closer to the bed. “He’s my son too! I have every right to see him!” she screeched loudly.

“Keep your damn voice down!” Scott grabbed her elbow and pulled her away from the bed.  
“You’re in a hospital!”

Spying Ally sitting between her grandparents, Jocelyn turned, pulling out of Scott’s grip. “Ally, my sweetheart! Are you okay?” Kneeling down, she grasped Ally’s face in her hands, kissing her cheeks.

Ally visibly shrank back from her mother, clasping Alma’s hand until her knuckles were white. Her eyes were wide, darting between her mother, who was obviously still feeling the effects of her night out, and her father, whose face was red with anger.

“Don’t you touch her!” Scott warned his ex-wife. “Jocelyn get out of this room right now. No one here wants to see you and I don’t want to have to call security.”

“I want to see my son!”

“Your son wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. You could have killed him tonight!”

“I have a right! They are under my custody right now!” Jocelyn screamed. “Let me see my son!”

Scott bared his teeth as he opened and closed his fists reflexively. He had forgotten all about Jocelyn in the aftermath of the accident and honestly hadn’t spared a thought as to how she had fared. She looked just fine, all things considered. Drunks usually did make it through accidents - they harmed everyone else in their path.

“Our son...my son is lying there because of you!” Scott raged at her. 

“He’ll be fine.” Jocelyn slurred, waving her hand in Scott’s face. “Some bumps and bruises. He’s a tough kid.”

Scott roared as he drew his fist back, stopped only by his father grabbing his arm and pulling him away. “Think Scott,” Joe said calmly. “You don’t want to do that, son. Think of your children. Calm down. We can deal with this without violence.”

“I wasn’t going to hit her.” Scott’s voice shook. “I would never do that. I was going to punch the wall. I just wanted to scare her.” Shaking his shoulders, Scott took several deep breaths and turned away from his ex-wife. _“Pretend she’s not here,”_ he told himself. _“Patrick and Ally are all you need to worry about. Focus Scott! Focus on Patrick and Ally.”_ Taking in one last calming breath, Scott sat at his son’s bedside once more, holding his hand in his. He drowned out the commotion that Jocelyn was causing with her presence by praying that someone would notice and remove her from the room.

“There you are.” 

A small but sturdy-looking policewoman entered the room, a worried-looking doctor and a nurse following close behind her. Jocelyn started for Patrick’s bedside, but Scott stood, barring her from getting any closer.

“Let’s go, Miss Darrian, You don’t want to add resisting arrest to the charges you’ve already piled up tonight. The policewoman reached out for Jocelyn’s right wrist, pulling it behind her back and handcuffing it to her left.

“My son!” Jocelyn cried. “I need to know how he is!”

“You’ll be updated at the station.” the policewoman assured her as she ushered her out of the room. Another officer entered the room as the pair exited. “Sorry folks. Officer Trembley was conned. Miss Darrian told her she needed to visit the restroom, upon exiting she snuck down here. We are sincerely sorry for any upset she caused.”

“Is she under arrest?” Joe asked. “What has she been charged with?”

“Drunk driving for a start, vehicular assault…”

Scott looked up. “Because of the kids? We don’t know how Patch is yet.”

“A passenger in the other vehicle was also injured.” the officer informed him.

Scott shook his head. The whole situation was so messed up. If only he’d been granted sole custody none of this would have happened. They would all be home, having dinner, maybe watching a movie, Patch and Ally would be laughing...none of them would have to deal with this horrible reality. 

“As parents with shared custody, you may want to speak with your lawyer.” the officer continued. “You can press charges, file for sole custody, it’s up to the courts really, but I would say your ex-wife certainly didn’t have your children's best interests at heart in this situation.”

“I can’t even think of any of that until I know my children are going to be okay.” Scott looked over to the doctor, who was studying Patrick’s charts. 

“Understandable.” The officer continued. “We will keep you updated on our end. Again, sorry for the commotion.”

Once the officer left the room, the doctor introduced himself to Scott and the family. 

“I’m Doctor McCall, I was the doctor on call when Patrick came in tonight. I can assure you this all looks much worse than it actually is. Patrick should recover 100 percent from his injuries.”

Scott looked at the doctor dubiously. “This looks pretty serious to me.”

“Actually, from what I understand about the crash, your children were extremely lucky. Patrick has a variety of surface cuts and bruises, which are quite common in cases like this. The wound on his chest was deep but did not require surgery. He lost a lot of blood though, so a transfusion was required. His right leg is the most serious injury.” He flipped a few pages on the chart before he continued. “Patrick broke his right tibia. Normally, this is a fairly straightforward break. However, in the accident, the broken bone shifted and punctured the skin.”

Scott winced as he pictured the injury. Stroking Patrick’s forehead, he leaned over to give him a gentle kiss. Having been lucky enough to only have broken his arm when he was younger, which was a minor miracle considering what a rambunctious kid he had been, Scott couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain his son must have been in.

“We needed to perform surgery to reset the bone and suture the puncture. Once we know that no infection has set in, we can cast the leg.”

“Infection?”

“Any time a bone punctures the skin, we need to be wary of infection. That’s why we’ve left it uncast and suspended. Everything looked good, he’s on a good dose of antibiotics, so there shouldn't be any concerns here.”

“He’ll be okay?” 

“Should be right as rain once the break heals.” Doctor McCall closed the chart, placing it back at the end of the bed. “Patrick is a lucky kid.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Scott!” 

Taking a break and letting his parents spend some time at Patrick’s side, Scott was leaning against the wall in the hallway, head in his hands. He looked up at the voice calling him, smiling at the sight of Tessa dashing down the hallway, giving him a tight hug as they met.

“I came as soon as I got your text but they wouldn’t let me in. I finally told a nurse I was your wife and they decided I was okay.”

Grinning, Scott touched her lips with a feather-light kiss. “You’re my wife, huh?”

“I had to assure the desk nurse that I wasn’t the ex-wife first.”

“God, she already caused a scene.” Scott pushed his still shaking hands through his hair. “The cops hauled her away.”

“Are the kids okay?” Tessa wrapped her arm around his waist, hoping to help ground and center him. 

“Ally might have a concussion, she’s in shock too, I think.” Peeking in the door, he could see Ally still listlessly leaning against Alma, holding her hand limply, her eyes wide and hollow looking. “I need the doctor to take another look at her.”

“What about Patrick?”

“Patrick is...the doctor says…” Scott paused. “Just come in and see.” he finished, shakily.

Pushing open the door, Scott could feel Tessa’s fingers digging into his side as she saw Patrick’s small figure lying in the bed. “The doc says he’s going to be just fine,” Scott whispered to her, trying to keep his voice steady. “Looks worse than it is.”

“Oh my God.” she gasped. “His leg.”

“Tessa.” Alma reached out her hand. “Thank you for coming.”

“Alma. Joe” Tessa hugged Scott’s parents in turn. “I wish we were meeting under happier circumstances.”

“I’m just glad you are here for Scott and the kids,” Joe told her. "It means so much to all of us."

"Miss Allison?" Tessa kneeled down in front of the young girl. "Is it okay if I hold your hand?"

Ally sat motionless, her head tipped to rest on Alma's shoulder, eyes looking far past Tessa.

"This is what she's been like," Scott told her as he came up behind her, placing his hand to gently caress her shoulder. "It must have been horrible for her. I can't even imagine."

"It had to have been terrifying." Tessa stood and wrapped her arms around Scott. "This is just awful. I feel for them so much."

The small group sat in the quiet room, the silence broken only by the ticking of the clock and the rhythmic beeps of the machines monitoring Patrick. 

"Hon, your dad and I would like to go down to the cafeteria for coffee if that's okay. We'll call Charlie and Danny while we are there. Can we get you anything?"

As the words left his mother's lips Scott realized he was starving. He had gotten the call from Ally just as he was thinking of grabbing a bite to eat for supper and he hadn't had anything since breakfast prior to that.

"A sandwich maybe? I didn't have a chance to grab supper. Coffee. For sure coffee. T, what about you?" 

Tessa was in the process of switching spots with Alma and trying not to disturb Ally at the same time. 

"A coffee would be lovely." She sighed as she settled in the chair. "A nice strong coffee, please."

Scott sank back into the chair beside Patrick's bed, reaching out to gently stroke his son's arm. He couldn't stop his eyes from roaming over the numerous cuts and bruises that covered the young boy's small body, finally landing on the ugly red incision on his leg. He couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.

“It’s my job to protect them, Tess, I let them down.” he sobbed. “I feel so worthless right now.”

“There is nothing you could have done to prevent this.” Tessa squeezed Ally’s hand lightly. “This is not your fault, Scott.”

“My choices. My bad choices. It’s all my fault.”

“We’ve discussed this.” Tessa placed a light kiss on Ally’s hair before continuing. “Your choices, although perhaps poor ones, gave you these children. You are a damn good father to them. What would they do without you?”

“I love them.” he cried. “I love them so damn much. Seeing them like this is killing me.”

“And that’s a sign of your love.” Tessa gave him a smile. “You care for them so much. I know you would trade places with Patch right now if you could.”

Scott nodded. “I would. In a heartbeat.”

“All you can do is be here for them. Help them to deal with the fallout of the accident.”

“Tess?” Scott looked over to see Tessa with Ally snugly in her arms, gently rocking her as she ran her fingers through Ally’s long dark hair.

“Hmmm?”

“Why am I so lucky?”

Tessa raised a questioning eyebrow. That was a funny question in light of his family’s current situation.

“I have the best children in the world and, quite possibly, the best girlfriend. I can’t thank you enough for being here for all of us.”

“Aunt Tessa?”

Scott’s head whipped up at the wavering reed-thin whisper of his daughter’s voice. “Ally?”

“What do you need, sweetie?” Tessa soothed, rubbing her hand. “Your dad and I are right here.”

“I’m so scared.”

“I know. You have every reason to be.” Tessa kept her voice low and comforting. “What a scary thing to go through.”

“I’ve never been in an accident before.”

“Me either. You were very brave to stay alert and call your dad.”

“Daddy?” Ally’s eyes searched the room, finally landing on Scott. At that moment her eyes welled up with tears and she started sobbing uncontrollably. Tessa rocked her gently, caressing her back and raining kisses on her cheeks. “It’s okay sweetie, it’s okay. Daddy’s here.”

Giving Patrick a kiss on the cheek, Scott got up to join Tessa and Ally. As soon as he sat down Ally crawled onto his lap, but still clung desperately to Tessa. So Scott wound one arm around Tessa, the other firmly around his daughter as they huddled together.

“I’m here baby girl, I’m here.” he whispered in her ear. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Is Patch dead?”

Tessa audibly gasped and they both moved as one to hug the young girl as tight as they could. 

“No sweetie. He’s hurt, but he’s going to be okay.” Scott assured her.

“There was so much blood Daddy! I was so scared.”

“He’s hurt but he’s going to be just fine sweetie, I promise you.” Scott pressed his lips to Ally’s cheek. “You were both very lucky”

They sat like that until Ally’s cries subsided into hiccupping breaths, her breathing slowly regulating to a normal rhythm. Gradually she relaxed, leaning back on Tessa, her head lolling onto Tessa's shoulder. Scott and Tessa exchanged glances over Ally’s head. 

_“You’re amazing.”_ Scott mouthed to her. 

Tessa shrugged with a smile. _“I didn’t do anything.”_

_“But you did.”_ Scott thought to himself. In those few moments of Ally’s pure panic and fear, Tessa had been more of a mother to her than her own mother had ever been. Even though Tessa had always insisted she never wanted children, she was a natural with Patrick and Ally. Scott admired the way she expertly held his daughter as she slept and the way she gently rubbed Ally’s hands and arms to soothe her. Ever since Tessa had come back in his life things had changed for the better, except for the custody hearing and the accident of course, but there was really nothing else that he could argue had gotten worse. He had an amazing job that allowed him to see his children more often, he had his house back and the kids had space to grow and play, and he had his life back. The stress and worries were almost completely gone and it was all thanks to the amazing woman that sat beside him smiling a beatific smile at him.


	17. Chapter 17

With confirmation from the night nurse that Patrick was resting comfortably and would most likely be awake and alert in the morning, Scott’s parents decided to go home for some sleep. They confirmed that they had contacted Scott’s brothers during their coffee break, Charlie would be stopping by the hospital sometime tomorrow and Danny wanted Scott to call as soon as he could. As they exchanged goodbye hugs, they reassured Scott they would be back in the morning to see their grandchildren. 

Tessa still sat on the opposite side of the bed, her legs bent up beside her resting on the chair and with Ally’s head in her lap. The doctor said it was okay to let Ally sleep but to be aware of any signs of concussion the next day. From his spot at Patrick’s bedside, Scott could see Tessa’s head nodding as she struggled to stay awake.

“You can go home too, T. We’re okay here.” Scott moved to sit beside her, shifting his chair quietly as to not wake Ally.

Tessa yawned lightly, stretching her arms over her head as she did. “I am tired, but I don’t want to leave you alone.”

Scott kissed her cheek as he gently rubbed her shoulder. “Really, I’m okay. I don’t want Patrick to wake up all alone and be even more frightened than I already know he will be.” Scott told her. “I can get them to bring in a cot for Ally.”

“Why don’t I take Ally home? If you’re okay with it, I can put her in my bed and sleep next to her. That way I’m right there if she wakes up and is scared or if something is wrong.” Tessa clarified. “We can come back first thing.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.” 

“You didn’t, I offered,” Tessa said, simply.

Scott stared at Tessa in stunned admiration. Most women would and had, steered clear of the nightmare his life had been with his ex-wife but Tessa held her own. Now that she knew what the situation was really like she remained strong and supported him and the kids at any cost. “What if she wakes up and is scared because I’m not there?”

“We can call or come right back. I was thinking of taking her to my place since it’s closer.”

Scott considered. “That’s a good idea, especially if she wakes up and shows any sign of a concussion.” Scott held his fingers up and ticked off the points. “Throwing up, dizziness, headache, memory loss…”

Tessa grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. “Sweetie, I know. I listened to the doctor when he was telling you what to look for. I’ll take care of her as if she was my own.”

“Did you just call me _sweetie_?” Scott was continuing to be amazed by her. “You haven’t called me sweetie since…” He stopped himself. He hadn’t heard that term of endearment from her since before he cheated on her. He deserved to be reminded of how much of a jackass he had been. He certainly didn’t deserve this woman loving him and being there for him. But Tessa continued to stand by him, despite having been hurt by him in the past. She had a love for him, and he for her, that had withstood the test of time and weathered the up and downs they had already been through and there was no doubt in his mind that she would continue to be there for him and his children. 

“I did,” Tessa confirmed as she leaned over to kiss him. “Now, are you alright with me taking our daughter home?”

Scott looked at Tessa in confusion. “Our daughter? Are you sure you didn’t hit your head sometime today?”

“I’m your wife, remember?” She grinned as she reminded him of her ruse to get access to Patrick’s room.

_“I should only be so lucky,”_ he said to himself. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Moir” he teased, even as those words made his heart beat just a little faster. “Take good care of our girl tonight.”

“You take good care of our boy.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Scott slept a troubled sleep, never falling fully asleep in fear that he would miss Patrick waking up. His brief moments of sleep were interrupted with disturbing images of the kids during the accident. Did they know they were going to get hit? Were they in pain or, in Patrick's case, was he unconscious and oblivious to his injuries? They had to have been terrified. He felt horrible that he wasn’t there for them when they needed him most.

Scott was rocketed out of his slumber by his son's frantic flailing and screaming. Patrick was desperately grasping at the tubes in his arms, trying to rip them out as he tossed and turned in the bed, his broken leg dangerously swaying in the harness. A nurse came on the run, alerted by the machines, but Scott held up his hand to keep her back.

“You’ll just scare him more!” he told her urgently. “Please let me talk to him first!”

He approached the bed calmly, even though his heart was hurting, seeing his son in such confusion and pain made him want to cry.

“Hey Patch, take it easy son.” He tried to make his voice sound cheery and hopefully normal. “Patch, hey Patch. It’s me, Dad. I’m here buddy boy.”

Scott tenderly placed his hands on Patrick’s arms to hold him steady as he leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Buddy boy, relax, you’re going to hurt yourself.” He gestured for the nurse to approach and check Patrick’s vitals. “The nurse is just going to check on you to see how you’re doing, okay? I’m right here.”

Patrick whimpered and writhed trying to get out of Scott’s grip. “Let me go, let me go!”

“No one is going to hurt you. Patrick, you need to relax.” Scott urged. “I know you’re confused but everything is okay.”

“That car is gonna hit us!” Patrick screamed. “Let me go! Mommy!”

Patrick’s body shook violently, then he slumped back into the pillows, his breathing shallow.

“What happened?” Scott stared at the nurse with fear in his eyes. “What just happened?”

“I’m getting the doctor, his vitals just dropped drastically.” The nurse ran out of the room and returned promptly with a doctor in tow.

“What happened to my son?” Scott stood back so the doctor and nurse could check on Patrick. The sight of his son’s small body shuddering and collapsing had Scott petrified beyond belief. 

“We need to run some tests, Mr. Moir.” the doctor explained as he jotted down Patrick's vital signs. “We’ll let you know as soon as we can.”

Scott sank down in the chair forlornly as they hurriedly wheeled Patrick down the hall and out of his sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I had to talk to somebody Danny, or I’d go crazy. It’s not too late there is it?”

Scott paced the hall outside of Patrick’s room as he waited for news. He had tried to catch some sleep but that was impossible. He had debated calling Tessa, but he didn’t want to wake her or Ally. Danny seemed the safest option considering the time shift on the west coast.

“It’s about one o clock, but it’s okay. T~2 and I were just watching a movie” 

“I’m sorry for interrupting.”

“It’s okay, we wanted to know how the kids were anyway. What the hell happened?”

Scott explained what he knew about the accident and how Jocelyn had outwitted the police to find Patrick’s room.

“Damn Scotty, you sure knew how to pick’em.” Danny teased, hoping to elicit a laugh from his brother.

“So not funny D.” Scott scowled into the phone. “Anyways, I’m reminded of my screwups on a daily basis.”

“Speaking of screwups...Mom tells me Tessa has come back into the fold.”

That brought a smile to Scott’s face. “Yeah, we met a few months ago and we started hanging out again.”

“If you mess this up this time.” Danny’s voice was mock threatening. “I’ll have to fly out there and give you an up-close and personal attitude adjustment.”

“Don’t worry. We are taking it slow, talking and working things out like adults this time. I respect her and love her very much.”

“Good. She deserves it.” Danny said approvingly. 

As they continued chatting about their lives, Danny was pleased to hear Scott sounding so content after his life had been in such turmoil for so long. Being with Tessa made him whole and that could be nothing but good for Scott and the kids. He wasn’t kidding about knocking him around if he messed up their relationship this time. Tessa was the yin to his yang and everyone but him seemed to know it.

“Listen bro.” Danny yawned. “We’ve got an early day tomorrow. Today I guess now. Kids have hockey practice on the early ice.”

“I’m sorry for keeping you up D. Thanks for listening.”

Scott pocketed his phone and wandered down to the nurse's station to inquire about Patrick. They hadn’t heard anything and encouraged him to remain in the room, that the doctor would contact him as soon as he could.

Scott couldn’t shake the dark thoughts that kept running through his head. He couldn’t lose Patrick, it just wasn’t possible. He didn’t know how he could continue to function if he lost one of his children. He wondered if he was being punished for his past behavior. If God was punishing him by hurting the people dearest to him. In a vain attempt to stop his brain from overthinking, he pulled out his phone and began to scroll through his photo roll, smiling at the memories of his children captured there. When he got to the goofy photos he convinced the kids to take before they left for their mom’s house, he started to cry. The last photos of the kids before the accident. The last photos of Patrick...ever?

“Mr. Moir?”

Scott hastily stuffed his phone in his pocket and swiped at his eyes. His thoughts and looking at the photos had him in a full-on ugly cry and he knew he must look awful, but then he also knew that this doctor had probably seen much worse.

“Yes, how’s Patrick? Can I see him?”

“We’ll be bringing him back down shortly. We had to run a CT scan and discovered a small internal bleed.”

Scott’s heart stopped beating. You could die from internal bleeding. Wasn’t that what Princess Diana had died from so many years ago in her car accident? 

The doctor put his hand on Scott’s shoulder. “He’s fine, we are monitoring him very carefully. Right now we’ve upped his intravenous fluids and his vitals are back to normal. If it continues we may have to perform another transfusion. Surgery is only if it gets worse fast.”

Scott slumped back down in his chair. Transfusions, surgery. It was all so terrifying and made his anxiety level rise. “Is he really okay?” he asked softly.

“We’re confident we got it early enough that surgery should not be necessary. We will take good care of your boy, Mr. Moir.”

Scott let out a shuddering breath. “Thank you. I just don’t know...I can’t deal with losing…”

“No one is losing anyone, not on my watch.” The doctor squeezed his shoulder. “Patrick is going to be fine.”

A few moments later Patrick's bed was wheeled back into the room by some orderlies. The doctor made sure the monitors were hooked back up correctly and checked the vital signs once more. “Everything is looking good, Mr. Moir. We’ll be back in an hour or so to check on him again.”

Scott pulled his chair as close to the bed as he could and held Patrick's hand tenderly. “You have to pull through this buddy boy. This is hard for your old dad seeing you like this you know? I need you to get better. We all need you to get better. Aunt Tessa and Ally will be here in the morning, and Granma and Granpa Moir and Uncle Charlie. They want to see your happy Moir smile, okay?” Scott pushed Patrick’s hair off his forehead and kissed him gently. 

“Please be okay.”


End file.
